Karma's Ghost
by Nature9000
Summary: When tragedy strikes, Jade awakens in a cold hospital room, staring back at her comatose form. She is given the chance to have a second shot at life, but in order to return to her body, she must undo the negative energy that she has built up through the years. As she struggles to help those she is assigned to, Death continues to breathe down her neck, waiting for her to fall.
1. Death Awaits

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:First: This will be updated beginning around the Christmas season, only because I am close to finishing some other stories and I want to get those done first, but I want to give you a taste of what's to come with this.

Secondly: This setting is taking place around Christmas, and the first chapter opens with Jade discussing the holidays with Lane, but I want to stress to you that this is not a holiday themed tale. That said, it is most certainly not a twist on Christmas carol either-just in case you were about to make that reference with the title. Read, trust and enjoy. It's a bit darker than holiday themed tales anyway.

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Chapter 1 (Death Awaits)

"So what will you be doing for Christmas, Jade?" Lane appeared to be looking down his nose at her while rubbing his hands vigorously, as if lathering them just once with lotion couldn't cleanse them enough.

The man's smile mocked her, though he'd said in the past this wasn't intended. "I don't know, Beck's probably going to drag me over to the soup kitchen again." She crossed her right leg over her left and shrugged. Conversation was usually the best thing to do when coming to the counselor, though their talks often went towards less peaceful and calm topics.

"Why does that sound bad, Jade? Volunteering is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit."

"I have little doubt." Christmas had never been a big deal for her, and she preferred staying away from people trying to 'spread good cheer'. Beck was always the one trying to get her more involved with volunteering and getting into the spirit as well, hoping he could get her interested again. "You know my feelings about the matter."

"Yes, but enlighten me." His right forefinger curled over his chin and his two tiny eyebrows came together. "How do you feel right now?" His gaze was on her like fire, branding her as if with great judgment.

"Kind of like you're judging me." He hummed and she threw her hands up. "Everybody judges me." She tried to resist the urge to sneer, but already her glare on him was set. "What does it matter if I'm not into all those holidays and festive nonsense? I'm no scrooge, I'm just not into it. Hell, I hardly had any turkey."

"If I remember from our previous sessions, the Vega family invited you into their home for thanksgiving, didn't they?" Seeing where this was headed, she sharpened her glare and began to grind her teeth. "Remind me Jade, how did that go again?"

"I didn't go."

"Why not?"

"Didn't feel like it." She hated almost every holiday there was, and that included Halloween. People assumed she liked the horror holiday because she dressed dark and was a bully that loved scarier things, but perhaps that was the reason she hated it more than usual. "Too much family, too much cheer and happiness."

Lane reclined, opening his mouth and eyes like he'd just witnessed a breakthrough. "And there we have it, Jade. Family. The reason you detest holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and even Mother's Day. Family."

She rolled her eyes and waved a hand in the air. "Great. Now you can tell me something I don't already know. Fuck, tell me your analysis of me for all I care, you wouldn't shock me."

"Oh I can do that." A smirk grew on Lane's face, and Jade felt an uneasy feeling settling into her gut. "You're riddled with anxiety, jealousy, paranoia, grief and a deep sense of pain and resentment." She bit her lip and raised her hand to her upper left arm, groaning uncomfortably.

"You can't stand seeing whole families because yours isn't complete, you can't stand Katrina Vega because you know even though she doesn't act like it she would stand up for her little sister if someone were to harm her-which is more than you can say for your own sister, who left home long ago."

He rolled his head to the right and his eyebrows hung in place. "You're fighting abandonment issues, and that is why you cling to people so desperately. That's why it's so easy to take your boyfriend back every time you break up."

"Okay…" Jade breathed in deep and turned her head. Every muscle in her body grew tense as anger washed over her.

"You're a bully, you pick on people because it gives you power and control over them. You can't stand not being in control, because it leaves you open. You harbor a lot of hatred that you pour out onto everyone else, but you seem incapable of understanding what they're going through. Incapable of treating them on the same level as you."

He was being too harsh for her liking. She growled back at him and rose from her seat. "You're a therapist, you're supposed to help people feel better, not make them feel like shit."

"I am only trying to help you to see the problem areas. These are the areas that must be addressed…"

"Well it's not helping." All she wanted was to be happy, and that's what she was seeing this guy for. She wanted to find her place in life, not be put down and condemned at every turn. "You're kind of being an ass, Lane."

In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder if he was right. Even as she stormed out of the office, she could feel a nagging sensation that tried to pull her back like a vacuum.

"Hey Jade!" Tori's voice echoed from down the hallway, giving her a jump before she turned to face the girl. Tori's arm was brandishing through the air, and her eyes were open wide and hopeful. "You and Beck are coming to our place for Christmas, right?"

Her expression fell flat and a low growl vibrated from within her throat. "Why would we do that?" It wasn't as though they didn't have families of their own. She had her depressed father and Beck had his odd dad. Granted she didn't know much about his father, she took up most of Beck's time and never had much interest in meeting the man's dad. "Beck and I have families."

Tori rolled her head to the right and grasped the right strap of her pink backpack. "It's just you guys and your dads, right?" Jade scowled and her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "I mean you can invite them too. It's no big deal."

"You have your own family, leave mine out of it."

"No one needs to be alone-"

"Oh don't you dare use that cheesy ass line on me." Her voice snapped out in vengeance, and all of her stress kept her from trying to calm down. "I don't know what you're trying to pass as family every year anyway, you're just a bunch of hypocrites that pretend to be a family for one damn day." Tori started shrinking as Jade poked her finger down at the girl. "You're the one complaining all the time. Your father's never around, your mother's having an affair, your sister's an incompetent Pollyanna that can't find her place or anyone who gives a damn about her."

She could see the tears welling up in the girl's eyes, but all she cared about in that moment was getting her opinion out. "Jade…come on, it's not like that. At least not all the time."

"Screw off. Take your fucked up, mental, bat shit crazy and hypocritical family, and shove them up your ass for all I care." Tori flinched and turned her head away with a wounded sigh. It was a tremendous weight off Jade's chest, but she couldn't help feeling like she might have taken it a bit far.

"Fine, Jade." Tori crossed her arms and straightened her back. "All you had to do was say 'no'." The pain in Tori's eyes struck her with a heavy guilt-ridden sensation, but before she could apologize, Tori had flung her hair back and was storming away. The girl stopped just by the lockers and glared over her shoulder.

"Oh and by the way," Tori shouted, "Since you like to be miserable all the time, I hope you have a miserable Christmas!"

Jade flinched as the girl's words deflated her. "Whatever," She muttered with a low scoff. She spun on her heels and stormed out the front door, growling until she saw Beck waiting in his car in the parking lot.

She climbed into the passenger side as quickly as she could and fastened her seatbelt. "Let's go, Beck. I'm sick of being here."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." His right eyebrow rose and he looked to her with concern. "I just want to go home and sleep." He reached for her hand and caressed it with his thumb. Her eyes drifted towards his smile and a warm feeling washed over her, drawing a smile to her face.

"I love you."

"You too, Beck." She leaned over, kissing the corner of his lips. Finally beginning to relax, she slid into her chair and closed her eyes. The engine of Beck's car filled her ears like music, and the vibration of the tires on the road created a hot shiver along her arms.

She wasn't certain how long they were driving before stopping at a stoplight where a car's horn stirred her from her slumber. Beck was talking in an argumentative tone, but his words weren't directed at her.

"Ignore them," she mumbled while rubbing the sleep from her eyes. A red mustang convertible was beside them, it's top was down and a strange old song was filled the air. "Is that Karma Chameleon? They must be playing a CD or something…"

Her attempt to rouse him from his argument with the other driver was in vain as he only raised his voice. His words meant little to her as she wasn't aware of what began the fight, but it sounded as though he knew the man from somewhere.

The driver of the other car had short trimmed blonde hair, and glistening blue eyes. His thin lips were split into a mocking smirk.

All of a sudden the light changed and both men were accelerating at a rapid rate. Jade's heart sped out its frenzied beats and she gripped Beck's wrist with her nails. "What are you doing? Slow down, this isn't a drag race!"

"The guy's an ass," Beck said with a shout, "He needs to be put in his place."

"Beck, just leave him alone."

There was a wild and almost deranged look in his eyes; it looked as though he had little intention of slowing down. Whoever this man was upset him enough to chase after the guy; but this was a side to him she'd not seen before, and she hated it.

Adrenaline coursed through her as she twisted around in her chair, screaming while looking at the driver behind them. He looked like death warmed over, and the minute his eyes struck hers, she felt a paralyzing sensation strike her like lightning.

Her chest grew tight and fear flashed first before her eyes as the driver sped up. "I thought he was in front of us, Beck?"

"We're cutting him off at the pass."

"Beck, please." It was all over in a matter of seconds. She had little time to react when she saw the bridge ahead of them. The driver nudged their rear bumper, causing Beck to swerve and hit the rail of the bridge.

Their car took off down the rocky slope to the right, and Jade screamed in anguish as her entire body slammed into the ceiling and doors of the car like a ragdoll.

It could have been an hour before the car stopped rolling, but it could have been five seconds by that same token. Blood caked her hair and filled her nostrils with a wretched scent as darkness came over her like a thief in the night.

She could hear someone screaming, crying for help and pleading for her. She wanted to answer back, but she could barely move, let alone speak.

When her eyes opened up, she found herself surrounded by four white walls. Steady mechanic beeps echoed off them, and a bright light shone before her.

"W-Where am I?" Her trembling hands rose to her face, and to her surprise, she found she could still walk. "Hello?" Voices from behind grabbed her attention. She spun swiftly, her heart swelling with hope as she saw what appeared to be a tall nurse walking by. "Miss?"

Was she at the hospital? It was too difficult to tell at this point.

The woman walked by her without looking up from her clipboard. At first she thought the woman hadn't heard her, so she sought to try again. "Excuse me? Ma'am? Can you tell me where I am, and what happened?" The woman stopped just before the door and Jade began to smile.

"I need to get to room 102A." Then she continued on her way, still ignoring Jade like she was nothing. Angry and confused, Jade screamed at the woman, hoping she would hear her this time.

"That…is not going to work." A man's voice stopped her in mid-sentence. It was deep and raspy, and carried with it an ominous tune that resonated deep within her. Fearful and nervous, she turned to face the man.

He was incredibly tall, dark skinned and dressed in a black tuxedo. His eyes were crimson with golden flecks in them. Though the man appeared middle aged, she felt in her gut that he was far older.

"Jade West." The man locked his wrists behind his back and paced to the right, clicking his tongue. "I was wondering when you would wake up-you're a very interesting subject."

She stepped back, bracing herself for defense. The man's thick eyebrows hugged each other, and the corners of his mouth slid into his high cheekbones. "You have little reason to fear me, Miss West."

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"I could tell you, but you wouldn't believe me unless you saw for yourself. So without further ado." He removed the black fedora on his head, revealing his wavy black hair, then bowed while walking backwards.

Her eyes swelled with frightful tears at the sight that was revealed. Laying on a hospital gurney, attached to several wires, was her body. Her hands flew to her chest and the color drained from her cheeks as a fuzzy feeling grew in her knees and her head.

"T-That can't be me."

"Oh it's you." He raised his hand to his face, sliding his fingers down the stubbly goatee which framed his thin lips. "Also, I get this a lot, so let me answer it before you ask: No you are not dreaming. Yes, this is completely real, and yes…" He paused, stumbling over his words for a brisk second. "Er, no, you're not entirely dead. Yet."

"What is this? What happened to me? Where's Beck?" She reached for the man, grabbing ahold of his tuxedo flaps and glaring into his eyes while flaring her nostrils. "Who in the hell are you."

His calm demeanor remained, but as his gentle eyes turned to her, she felt a deep seated danger brewing into heart. Fearful and certain this man was more dangerous than she knew, she released him and started to chuckle.

"It's funny." The man placed his cap back to his head and grabbed a cane that was perched against a nearby wall. It rose up to his waist and had a golden head on the top that took the shape of a Raven's head. "Right now, most people are on their knees bawling their eyes off or screaming with denial, but I shouldn't be surprised, anger has ruled your life for far longer than even you may know."

"Please." Her tears rolled along her cheeks and she bowed her head as the man folded his hands over the top of his cane. "Just tell me what's going on. You already said it's real, and I'm not dreaming. I don't want to believe you but-but I'm scared."

"Right." He cleared his throat and took a few steps towards her. "For future reference, I would be very careful about cursing me out or attacking me." She closed her hands around her throat and nodded fervently.

Whoever this man was, she respected him whether out of an uncertain fear or because he had the answers to what she needed to know. "Okay." He peered down his pointed nose at her and she began to wonder. "A-Are you God?" Her muscles tightened and her voice started to squeak. "Or worse?"

The man threw his head back, laughing uproariously. "Oh flattery and offense at the same time." Sweat flicked away from her furrowed brow, and her trembling hands dropped away from her neck as a peculiar darkness shone in his eyes. "I am neither God nor Devil. First, allow me to answer the question most forefront on your mind…"

"Y-Yes sir."

"You are in a comatose state." The man approached her body on the gurney and tilted his head to the right. "You and your boyfriend were in a terrible accident. Beckett is fine, he is alive and well." Relief rolled through her and out her lips as a swift calming breath. "Unfortunately your injuries are far more serious."

"What's going to happen to me?"

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "All will be explained in due time." She decided rather than push her fate, she would let him speak and be patient. "Whether you live or perish remains entirely up to you. As I said, your case is…a little different than the standard I am used to. You are about to find out what happens in those 'near death experiences' people are so eager to discuss."

Her heart skipped a beat and the man turned to face her.

"What?"

"You, Miss West, have been granted a rare reprieve." He craned his neck to the right, and a popping sound erupted from the joint. "A chance to live, but your fate is dependent on whether you squander your opportunity or take advantage."

"As for who I am…I have told you that I am neither God nor Satan. I am no angel and I am no demon." She was more confused than ever, and was beginning to rub her arms as the room grew deathly cold.

"I am the one you hear of in fables, I am the monster people warn you of…I am the one people claim will steal your soul, but I am the counselor that guides your spirit to the other side. Neither Good nor Evil, I am but a simple messenger-a taxi service for which no payment is needed."

"I am the Grim Reaper." She felt her heart stop and tried to gasp as her lungs shriveled like prunes. Light glinted off the man's white teeth, and he slowly removed his hat from his head. "I look forward to carrying your soul to it's destination once you fail..."

Her heart stopped and the tension in the air felt as though it was thickening, and she could almost see the dark clouds hovering in the sky as the man flashed a Chesire grin.

"You may call me Death."

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So it begins. Like I've stated, I will be finishing one or two near finished works first, so expect this to start updating closer to the week of Christmas. I hope you're looking forward to this, and I hope you'll enjoy it. Do tell me what your thoughts are.


	2. Jade's Assignment

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

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Chapter 2 (Jade's Assignment)

"Have you processed all of this yet, Jade?" Death's long fingers pressed together at the tips and pointed down towards the ground, his eyes seemed to restrain her.

Taking a deep breath, Jade shook her head and looked at her body. "Of course not." He was crazy if he thought she could process this so soon. A good amount of time had passed with her staring at the comatose form, but she wasn't sure how long it had been. "I'm dead? I can't be…"

"Didn't we cover this?"

"You're just a dream." Death crossed his arms, crinkling the sleeves of his tux. His eyebrow rose as she turned to face him, praying that her skepticism and doubt was true. After all, she knew what death looked like, and this wasn't it. "The Grim Reaper is-is-"

"Oh I'm sorry." He rolled his eyes and flattened his palms on the top of his cane. His head leaned to the right and his right hand rose to his chest. "Forgive me for not fitting the _Earth media's_ version of a bony white skeleton with soulless eyes." The man spread his arms out and scoffed. "I thought for sure you'd greet me, you were so obsessed with death and darkness in life, but now I feel so unwelcomed."

She jerked her head back and started shaking it while refusing to turn back to the bed in the room. She couldn't bring herself to answer, stumbling over the heaviness that seemed to suffocate her. "I guess I was a little bit obsessed, but-"

"Don't sugarcoat it." He spread a wry smile on his face and leaned towards her while walking past her. His eyelids fell halfway and his eyebrows started to wag. "You were in love with the macabre and the morbid. You were trying so hard to be one of those gothic girls, I'm just shocked you didn't get into practicing wicca."

"Okay, I get it." She huffed and started for the door. Death slapped his hand onto her shoulder, raising his voice to call to her attention. Her muscles tensed and a jolt of fear shot through her like lightning. "What?"

His expression grew stern and his dragon-like eyes glinted to the door. "Be very careful and very aware of what you are about to see when you step out this door." She raised an eyebrow as an unsettling feeling grew in her gut. "You aren't the only ghost that walks this domain."

"What? There are more like me?"

"No. You're unique in the sense that you have a _chance_ to return to your body." His eyes glinted to the corners and she could almost feel them piercing her. "You're literally a rare case, one that only happens in a long while."

"I…" She dropped her head and locked her index fingers before her waist. Jade couldn't understand how she was rare, but didn't want to ask him to elaborate as she understood enough. "I never thought ghosts actually existed, but I suspected. Still…if Grim Reapers like you exist to send people on their way, why are there ghosts around?"

"Not every ghost crosses." His hand slid away from her, leaving an icy sensation in its place. Her eyes rose to meet his, and she breathed in slow. Listening to him helped her in an odd way to relax despite the situation. "Some have attachments to the world."

Jade scoffed and flipped her hair over her right shoulder. "Nice to see some 'media portrayals' exist." Death stepped towards the door and laughed.

"Yes. It isn't simply a media portrayal, but that's beside the point. Hospitals are a hotbed of ghosts, and along with mental asylums and prisons, are nests for ghosts."

"Nests?" Her eyes went large and she glanced at the small slit between the door and its frame.

"Yes. You'll find more ghosts in those three locations than any other." Death's eyes bounced upwards and he made a small uninterested grunt. "Well cemeteries as well, but that all depends on how many graves there are and how many uncrossed souls aren't attached elsewhere."

"Oh."

"Prisons contain ghosts that tend to be angry or vengeful, they refuse to cross over because they feel wronged. Some refuse to cross because they do not want to go down south…" He rolled his head to the right and hummed lightly. "Asylum's most common ghost tends to either not realize that they are dead, or they do not know how to cross."

"And hospitals?"

"Usually ghosts that are grieving, or have the most unfinished business. A lot of them died violently. Like you." She almost corrected him to say she wasn't officially dead, but withheld her tongue because he already knew it and she did not feel like making Death angry was a wise decision at this point.

The man glanced at her as if he could see her thoughts and cracked a smirk. "You may be smarter in death than you were in life." She jerked back, offended, but tried to keep from getting defensive. "There is one other thing that happens with ghosts, but we don't call these ghosts so much as spirits-or some might say Angels."

"Angels? I always considered ghosts and spirits to be the same."

"Many do. Spirits have already crossed, but return to earth temporarily for whatever reason. They are granted permission." She curved her hand over her chin and slanted her eyes. This was a concept she'd not heard before, but an interesting one. "Oftentimes these are angels that come down to see a loved one. They have limited time allowed, but usually it's just enough for them to see or do as they wish."

She understood it a little, but didn't want to get into it too much. Whatever she needed to know or learn, she would regardless of how. Death pushed the door open and Jade took a deep breath, then held it in lieu of preparation for what was to come.

A clamoring burst in her ears and her eyes lit up with horror as she saw a grouping of people standing and moving about the hallway.

Off to the right she could see a frail old woman pushing a walker and looking forlorn at a passing doctor. A teenager stood in a corner, her arms crossed and her left eye was covered by long pink hair.

Jade spotted a young child and mustered a sad smile as the child ran in circles, laughing jovially. All of a sudden, the child ran through a nurse, causing the woman to stop walking and lift her head suddenly. Chills formed like tiny bumps along the woman's arms, and she looked about the area as though trying to find a source to the sudden breeze of air.

The child was unfazed, but Jade was stunned. "This is all too much." She raised her hands up and they trembled before her face. Death sauntered past her, shaking his head and holding his cane firmly at his right thigh. It was horizontal, so she was certain it was all for show. "I don't want to die."

"Most don't," he replied with a casual air like he'd been doing this work for centuries. He had, she was certain of that, but she still knew very little about him. She was curious whether there were more reapers or if he was the only one, and she was curious about the afterlife, but all of these weren't questions or issues for the moment.

Her voice trembled as fresh tears welled up in her eyes. "What do I do?" Death turned to face her. A grim expression came over him, and his eyes appeared to dim. "You said I had a chance to return to my body, but what is it I'm supposed to do in order to return? If this is some kind of twisted Christmas Carol thing…"

Death's lips pulled apart, revealing clenched teeth behind them. "Haven't we figured out this has very little to do with a novel written by a mortal being?"

"I was just going to say…the ghost of future doesn't come first."

"I'm not the ghost of Christmas anything, Miss West. I am _Death_." He straightened his posture and leaned back. His narrow eyes struck her with a certain fear that washed over her. "You just happened to die around the Christmas season, and the supernatural rules dictate that you are to be granted a second chance at life."

Jade walked towards a nearby hospital bench and sat down. When she didn't fall through the bench, she was shocked. Death slid his left hand along his right jacket sleeve and grunted at her. "You've still got part of your life essence left it seems. Ghosts can interact with physical objects, but usually that takes an amount of energy they don't have right away."

"You haven't answered my question yet."

"Of course." He rolled his head around in a circle and shut his eyes. "I'm ready to take your soul to its destination, but I have to wait until you have 'proven yourself able to change'." He rolled his eyes and waved his hand in the air. "Karma."

"Karma?" She shook her head and leaned back. "I'm not a big believer in karma." A breath of air rolled away from her lips and her eyes flicked out to the ghosts wandering about. "That being said, I've suddenly become a believer in a lot of things, I think."

"I'd say so." He moved towards her and set his cane down in front of his body. The tip struck the floor with a clank, and his hands folded on the top. "Anyway, Jade West. You've made numerous bad decisions in your life, you've hurt people-maybe without even knowing it-and you're on a dangerous path in life."

Her heart clenched and sank. Normally with Lane, she'd be ready with excuses and defenses that would justify her actions and behaviors, but she was afraid to start that with Death. Rather than make the attempt, she restrained herself.

Death's right eyebrow rose and the corners of his mouth sank back into his cheeks. "So I don't need to tell you where your soul was probably headed." Every muscle in her body cringed and her jaw fell open. Jade pushed the heel of her palms into her legs and bowed her head, breathing in quick and shuttering breaths.

"N-No."

"Right." He paced to the right, shaking his head from side to side. "So you've been granted a chance to correct the negative energy-karma-that you've built over the course of your life." He brought his hand to his chest and laughed. "I think it's a waste of time."

Her head jerked up in surprise. "You think I'll fail?" Her hands balled up and veins bulged from the surfaces. Death flashed a smirk and cast a suspicious glance to her. It was as if he knew something more, a possible causation of failure.

"I would like to make the quota; there's a certain amount of people I need to send to the underworld every so often and you're one of the last on my list. Still, I can't do anything to influence whether you pass or fail; _but_ , when you learn of your assignment you might not make it. You may just decide to take the fall."

Anger flickered in her heart and she started to growl at the man. "I'll take whatever you got." She didn't know what 'assignment' there was, or what the conditions were, and she was beginning to grow exhausted from all the stress and uncertainty. "Just tell me what I need to do to save my life."

"You need to save someone else's life." She raised an eyebrow and watched him bounce his head from side to side. "Multiple people really. Have you heard the term 'guardian angel' before?"

"Yes?"

"Something like that." Death leaned back against the wall beside her and looked up at the ceiling. "You must understand and realize that life, the world, does not revolve around you. Everybody struggles with something, Jade. _Your_ life circumstances, your issues and problems are not unique in any way whatsoever."

She began to stammer, forgetting her prior reservations of defense for the moment. Death rolled his head towards her, staring down his sharp nose at her. "Forget it, Miss West. You are nobody special."

"Thanks for the insult."

"It's no insult, it is the truth. Brutal honesty which you must learn by discovery. Change your life and save it by saving someone else. You have an assignment, a family that teeters on the brink of destruction and death."

"Death?"

"Yes." Death raised his hand and a scroll appeared in his grip. She studied the closed scroll and leaned forward, reaching as if to reach, but no sooner did she grab for it did he pull it away from her. "Only I can hold this. It is 'Death's List'. The names of members within this family you're assigned to appears on this list. It is up to you to use influence to change their lives and save them, thereby removing them from my list."

"Who is this family?" He grinned and she started to grow nervous as a glint of amusement flashed in his eyes.

"I believe you are familiar with Tori Vega and her family?" Her blood ran cold and she withheld a panicked scream so that she could force a pleasant smile. It wasn't her favorite choice, but if she could win back her life by dealing with these people, so be it.

Even still, hearing that one of the members of that family was on Death's list wasn't a good feeling. "How hard can it be?" She asked with a smile. Death shot a skeptical look her way and lowered his hand. "They're just about perfect. So what, am I supposed to get Trina to finally land a glory job and help Tori become Hollywood's next big superstar or something? Keep Mr. and Mrs. Vega from splitting up and stop whatever affair Tori talks about her mom having?"

"I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than that. You've only seen the mask they wear for their friends to see, and only glimmers of what's real; but I will let you discover that for yourself." The list vanished and Death rolled his head to the side. "Do you accept the assignment?"

"I have a choice?"

"Oh yes, yes you have a choice." She didn't think it was a true choice, however. If she said no, he'd just drag her soul to wherever she was destined for the afterlife. If she said yes, she would have to somehow understand the Vega family on some level she's never seen and change them in some way.

"How am I supposed to do this as a ghost?"

"Oh the supernatural has a powerful impact on the living. I'll just let you figure out how you're going to impact them." She leaned to the side, groaning for a split second. "You've got one possible help."

"What's that?" She followed his gaze to a nearby hospital room. Looking through the window, she could barely make out Beck lying in a stretcher with his hand over his face. "Beck? He survived."

"Because of the accident, he nearly died a couple times. Once in the car, and once on the operating table. That has severely impacted him as he has touched the afterlife."

"What does that mean?"

"It means he is the only person that can see you." She gasped and threw her hands over her mouth. Death turned to her with a solemn expression and shrugged. "He can see the undead."

"He's a medium?"

"Putting it that way, sure." Jade wasn't sure whether to cry or scream. On one hand she was relieved that he was alive and they could potentially interact, but on the other hand she was almost certain he'd freak out with all the ghosts around-including the ghost of his dead girlfriend. "You may want to give him some time yet, so don't go rushing in on him. Beckett is wracked with guilt at the moment…"

"Why the hell was he drag racing?"

"He wasn't. He was chasing someone." She raised her eyebrows and looked back in the direction of her boyfriend's room. "It would be better for him to explain, as for me, I need to take my leave."

"What?" She jumped from the bench and raised her voice, causing other ghosts nearby to gawk at her. "You can't just leave me." Death removed a pocketwatch from his coat and an exasperated sigh fled his tired lips. "I have questions, I still don't understand things."

"You will understand things in time, I can't baby you." Her brow furrowed and her lips trembled for a second as Death returned his watch to his jacket. "Regardless, I will be around. You'll see me here and there, so don't worry. I still have a job to do, and so do you, but mine is more dire."

"I understand." He had to go and transport souls to wherever they were meant to go. There was a likely consequence to his being late, so she didn't want to be the reason for his not doing his job. "I won't keep you…"

"Goodbye for now, and good luck." She raised her head, and her eyes widened as she watched a puff of billowing smoke rise from the ground and surround his body. She reached her hand out, gasping when the smoke faded; and with the smoke, Death was gone.

Alone for the first time, she could feel the speculating gazes of the ghosts nearby burning into her, judging her.

Jade wrapped her forearms around her waist and bowed her head. Her eyelids clenched shut, trapping her tears within. "How do I do this?" She asked with a whispered breadth of air. "How do I even start?"

She raised her head, chuckling in vain as her eyelids flapped open. "Tori and her family? How bad can things be, really? I mean…they're picture perfect. The worst thing to happen to them is Trina breaking a nail."

* * *

So it begins for you my dear readers. Tell me, what do you think of this? Do you think Jade's up to the task? How bad could things be? But then, those are the famous last words, aren't they...


	3. The Reason, and Beck's Guilt

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

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Chapter 3 (The Reason, and Beck's Guilt)

Despite almost dying twice, Beck seemed to be in good shape. Jade watched him from afar as advised by Death, just to make sure not to spook him. He was currently in recovery and being pushed in a wheelchair by a familiar nurse: Holly Vega.

Her name badge said 'Head Nurse'. Holly had bags under her eyes and crow's feet, her forehead was rough and curled upwards in the center while her face was very long.

Beck had his wrists over his thighs and his hands bent in between them. He didn't seem to notice the numerous ghosts wandering about, or if he did, he wasn't saying anything. Holly pushed him into Jade's room, then stepped out, shutting the door in the process.

At first Jade reached to open it, but instead remembered she didn't have to. Walking through the door felt odd at first; it made a crackling noise and created a feeling of nausea in her gut.

On the other side, Beck had his back turned to her and was positioned beside her comatose body. His hand clutched hers firmly, and streaks of tears on his face glistened like stars beneath the hospital lights.

"Jade," he whispered as though his voice would shatter if he spoke any louder. It took every ounce of her strength not to shout that she was right there behind him. He wouldn't understand, especially when she hardly understood what was going on herself. "I am…so sorry."

He took a deep breath and lowered his head onto her hand. His shoulders twitched and his body began to shake. "It should be me," he sobbed, "It should have been me." His words were like salt to an open wound, they stung her and drew the pain from her heart. "This was all my fault Jade, I…I wasn't thinking."

 _"Of course you weren't,"_ she thought. Her eyes rolled and her arms crossed at her waist. Beck sniffled and peered at her body with tender eyes.

"Oh god." His voice started to crack and wheeze. Beck raised his hand over his eyes and leaned back in the chair. "I was angry. Not at you." She furrowed her brow and reached her hand towards him, hovering it over his right shoulder for a moment.

Instinctively she drew it back, pulling it down against her hip and clutching her wrist with her other hand. She bit down on her lip and swallowed the air in her throat, in a guided attempt to remain strong. He was about to talk about the accident, and she wanted to know what exactly happened that Death said wasn't a drag race.

As Beck started to turn his head, she moved away from his line of sight as quick as she could. His gaze lingered on the door for the longest time, with his expression changing from sorrow to guilt. "Everything I do, I mess up. I'm impulsive and stupid, and I'm sorry."

She raised her hand over her mouth and shut her eyes. Her heart was pounding at the rate of a mile a minute, and her head was beginning to pulsate. _"Stop blaming yourself,"_ she wanted to say. It felt different from what she would normally do, since all her life she constantly looked to blame anyone she could. "Who was that guy?" Her words came out in a soft whisper, and the moment she heard them, her eyes opened wide and she began contemplating a route of escape.

Beck seemed to remain unfazed, turning his somber eyes onto her body and frowning deeper than she'd ever seen. Perhaps her whisper came out only as a suggestion, or he thought he was hearing things.

"I'm so sorry Jade. I'm sorry I never told you about him, he was a friend of mine-someone I knew a very long time ago." She raised an eyebrow and turned her head sideways, but still peered at him from the corners of her eyes. "Andre knew him too, but not long. He thinks I replaced him with Andre, but that's not the reason I called off that friendship."

Jade stepped towards him, listening closely. Her heartbeat steadied itself and the room grew still and calm as she waited with anticipation. "I called off that friendship because he was crazy. You remember when I wanted to try out for the football team at the old Junior High?"

 _"Yes…"_ Before high school came around, the whole group was spread out across Los Angeles. She and Beck did not attend the same school until high school. They met on chance when both attended a science fair being put on by another school in the district: Sherwood High.

Still, she knew when Beck was twelve or thirteen, he wanted to get involved with the school's football team. He said one of his closest friends was a quarterback, and he'd recently become acquainted with the team's running back: Andre Harris.

Something happened that he refused to tell her about, resulting in him never trying out for the team. Beck never felt comfortable talking about it, and Andre never knew anything other than this friend of Beck's was no longer around.

"My best friend at that time, someone I'd known for at least three or four years, was a man by the name of Samuel Ross." Jade curled her index finger over her chin and narrowed her eyes. The memory of the accident came in flashes, and with those flashes were fleeting glimpses of the man in the other car. "He was just a few years older than we were."

 _"How was he on a Junior High football team?"_

Beck leaned his head back and narrowed his eyes. "He got a late start into school after his parents homeschooled him for a year or two, the school district didn't approve his credentials and started him on a lower grade level."

She couldn't tell if he was hearing her thoughts somehow, or if it was just an uncanny coincidence that he answered her question when she thought it up. Beck shook his head and flared his nostrils out.

"We were thirteen, he was almost sixteen. He um…" Beck's lips pressed together like a steel trap, and anger flashed in his eyes like fire. "He had a girlfriend at the time, Jade. I guess she liked athletes." Jade's heart began to sink and she felt a tinge of fear starting up within her. She didn't know where he was going with this, but the feeling in her gut was enough for her to consider the worst.

"He was always joking about wanting to have sex with her, she was always uninterested." Beck took a deep breath. "We were joking one day, all three of us, and he said he should put her in her place. I thought he was joking, so I laughed." His voice rose and he slammed his fist down on the edge of the bed. "I fucking _laughed._ "

"Well…" His hands closed together and served a perch for his chin. His eyelids folded and creased as he shut them, and his teeth started to grind. "I came across her one day, she was beaten really bad."

Jade dropped her hand away from her mouth and withheld an astonished gasp. Beck's eyelids pulled open partially and his expression was blank.

"I can never forget that image. She was coated in blood, covered in bruises and had two black eyes." He began to cringe, his dried cheeks grew wet with fresh tears and the tone of his voice deepened. "He beat her." Jade closed her eyes and felt the bitter sting of bile in her throat. "When she turned him down again and broke up with him, he beat her. He didn't force himself on her-" Beck raised a hand and shook his head slowly. "I was afraid he'd do that, but he didn't. Thank god."

 _"Still…"_

"How could I even be friends with someone like that?" Beck covered his mouth and sobbed into his hand. "I blamed myself for encouraging Ross. Andre said I shouldn't, that it wasn't my fault. As far as I know, Ross never bothered her again, but I couldn't…I couldn't just ignore her."

Her ears perked with curiosity and her eyes darted over to him, but once more she remained silent. Beck's eyebrows closed and dipped in the center. "Besides all that, I hadn't seen him in so long. Seeing him at that stoplight again…all those memories came back. The anger, the guilt. I lost it Jade, I just lost all control."

She gripped her upper arms and her head swayed from side to side. While she understood his anger, she needed to know more about what set him off. _"What happened? What started the accident?"_ Beck's hands moved up, covering his face.

"God." He slid his hands through his hair and started to growl. "Son of a bitch never paid for what he did. No one ever got him, and I just started shouting. It was all my fault. I called him out on what an asshole he was, because he was making comments about my still being friends with Andre over him. I told him I knew what he'd done to his girlfriend, and he started laughing. He mocked me, he mocked her, and he said he'd do the same thing to you-and that's what set me off."

Beck dropped his hands back to his lap and looked to the left at the wall, huffing angrily. "He drove off and I tried to get in front to cut him off. I couldn't stop, all I saw was red. Jade, I'm so sorry…" He dropped his face down to her hand on the bed and wept into it.

Feeling faint, Jade sauntered out of the room, ignoring the feeling of phasing through the door. Her skin was pale and wet with sweat, and everything around her seemed to spin.

Part of her wondered who the girl was that Beck was talking about, but she wasn't suspicious of infidelity like she would have accused him of in the past. This felt different to her now, and it wouldn't surprise her if she knew the girl.

Beck had always been driven by emotions, no matter what emotion it was. Guilt was a powerful one with him, as was the sense of duty and protection.

There was a time when he told her he was looking out for someone, but never talked about who that person was. She respected his privacy on that matter, though she always wondered if it was a girl and if it was someone he might cheat on her with; but he always held that he just wanted to see that person protected for whatever reason. Of course, this made her think he was talking about his dad.

If it was this girl and he was doing it because he felt guilty or responsible for what her boyfriend had done, then she could understand.

"You know that kid?" She heard someone say. Jade raised her eyes and saw Holly leaning against a counter with another nurse. She recognized the second nurse as the one that took over a couple years back when the nurse that took Tori's blood one time had been fired. "The girl in there?"

"Of course I know her." Holly stood upright and crossed her arms. "She almost killed my daughter. One of her _friends_." Jade flinched at the bitterness directed at her, and wanted to defend herself.

"It's not my fault your daughter is-" She stopped midsentence, listening to the words in her brain and coming from her lips. Holly seemed to stare right through her, which wasn't a great shock. "N-Nevermind."

"I know the boyfriend too." Holly swept her thumb across her chin and pointed at the door. "Kid brought my other daughter to the hospital once a few years back." Jade's eyebrow rose and she twisted towards the door.

"What does that mean?"

"I don't mind him, but David and I aren't too happy with the girl. We're not thrilled with many of Tori's friends, to be honest."

The nurse leaned over the counter, clasping her hands together and turning her curious gaze to Holly. "Why? If you don't mind me asking, ma'am." Holly grabbed a stack of papers and straightened them.

Jade approached Holly and peered over the woman's left shoulder, gazing down at the shuffled documents. She looked to the other woman and smiled; this woman was just a few promotions beneath Holly-not yet a registered nurse.

"Because they're always putting our children down. I would never have allowed those kids under our roof if I didn't trust Tori's judgement, but she can be a bit naïve." She believed that statement, though she hadn't considered Tori's parents didn't like them. "Trina really doesn't need them, or her sister, picking on her either. It really surprises me that Beck picks on her too."

"Oh?"

"I've said enough on that matter." Holly smiled faintly and turned away from the nurse, ready to move on to the next task. "My girls have had it rough growing up with David never being around for them."

"He's a homicide detective, isn't he?" The nurse stood upright and pursed her lips. "You can't really blame him for not being around." Holly chuckled softly and shook her head.

"They needed a father figure around, he was never around because he's their stepdad. Their father comes around, but not as often as he should."

Jade froze, stunned by the words. The clamor of ghosts around her seemed to fade, and her mind could only focus on the sound of Holly's heels clicking the floor as she departed. "Mr. Vega is their stepdad?" She spoke the words over and over, trying in vain to register them in her brain. "I don't…what…"

Jade stumbled over herself, moving to the left and trying to see all those around her. The ghosts were gone, the hospital staff was gone, and suddenly she was enveloped by a bright amber light.

"Jade," spoke a vaguely familiar feminine voice. When she turned around, she found herself face to face with a woman that appeared old enough to be in college. The girl had soft features and an angelic smile. Her dark hair parted in the middle and swept down over her shoulders. "Jade…"

"Who are you?" This could be one of those spirits that Death spoke about, the crossed-overs returning for a visit. If that was the case, she knew she didn't have much time.

The girl turned her head, gazing serenely at the hospital room her body was in. The girl then folded her hands in front of her waist and shut her eyes. "Ask the question that is greater in importance." Jade's eyebrows rose and she followed the spirit's gaze.

"Beck…" She had yet to figure out what Beck's guilt was over, aside from the accident. She didn't know if it was important or not to know who the girl was that he helped long ago, but something Holly said made her wonder. "I have many questions right now, starting with who or what you are."

"You may have more if you knew who I was." The girl looked back and continued to smile. The smile and warmth in her eyes washed over Jade, comforting her for the first time. "If you must know, I'm the reason you're being given a second chance."

"What?"

"I'm the reason. I begged and prayed for you, I pleaded with Death for you. You have to change your ways, you have to save the family that you hate in order to save yourself-that was the condition. _I am the reason._ "

She jerked her head back and started to stumble. Her heart rose to her throat and her words fell in a stammer from her lips. "Is Beck somehow connected to the Vega family?" She wanted even more to know who this woman was, but she had to speak now the first thought on her mind.

The girl shut her eyes and nodded. "Yes. He is the one that brought Katrina Vega to the hospital when she was fifteen years old. When she broke up with her boyfriend, he beat her and left her in an alley downtown. He texted Beck, telling him that they broke up and the last location he saw Trina. As he was nearby, Beck went to the location and found Trina I a pool of blood."

Jade gasped and threw her hands over her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes and she turned away, choking on her breaths. The girl extended her right arm towards the hospital room and looked towards it. "Out of guilt and shame, blaming himself for possibly encouraging the man, Beck was insistent on watching over and befriending the Vega family."

She couldn't believe the words she was hearing. It almost made sense for her, all those years of Beck defending Tori or telling her to be nicer to the sisters; she thought it was because he secretly had a thing for one or both of them, but it was because he felt bad for them.

When she looked up, the girl was beginning to fade. Her eyes grew wide and panic set in. "No wait!" She raised her voice and reached out as the girl's hazel eyes connected with hers. "You haven't told me who exactly you are."

"Another time, Jade. No time now."

"Wait!"

The girl was nothing but a ball of mist hovering in the air at this point. "I told you." Jade dropped her arms and felt her knees starting to buckle. "I am the reason. The reason you're being given another chance. We will speak another time, I promise."

Tears welled up in her eyes as the voice and mist faded away. Her heart stopped in place and she dropped to her knees as the clamor of ghosts and hospital staff returned to her.

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Well, there's a lot to process for Jade here. What are your thoughts coming out of this chapter? Who do you think that spirit was, and what do you think will happen next?


	4. A Needed Friend

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Happy new year's, here's your gift.

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Chapter 4 (A Needed Friend)

Beck's father came by to take him home, much to Jade's dismay. She wanted to talk to him and learn more, but there were two issues she had with that step: Frightening or shocking him after this trauma was the last thing she wanted, and she was still afraid to leave the hospital.

It felt like she would have to attach herself to someone in order to leave, but she didn't know for sure if that was true. If it were the case, then she would attach herself to Nurse Vega, the surest way to get out of the hospital safely and reach the Vega home without getting lost.

Jade wasn't comfortable talking to the other ghosts, so she remained in her hospital room despite feeling faint and wary whenever she was in the vicinity of her body. It was more a sickening sensation than anything else, but she preferred it as opposed to talking to the scarier ghosts outside.

"I have no answers." Jade buried her face into her hands and sank her back into the firm cushioned chair in the room. "I have questions and my 'advisor' is nowhere to be found." Even worse, the one 'person' that apparently fought tooth and nail to let her have this chance didn't tell her who she was or why she cared.

Her father hadn't come to visit, which hurt, but he may have come by before she woke up. There was no knowing how long she'd been out, other than the reference that came in the form of Beck himself. Some amount of time would have had to pass before he was put in recovery and allowed to go home, especially since he nearly died twice.

There was a good chance she'd been out for at least a day or two.

As for the ghosts outside, they didn't like her. It was the first time she'd seen people that weren't afraid of her, or those she couldn't somehow control. Their sneers and scowls, as well as the indistinct whispers seemed to be an indicator of how much they didn't care for her.

"I'm alone, I'm scared, and I have absolutely no idea what to do. Nobody wants to talk to me or even help me." She was used to the loneliness; but for the first time in her life when she needed someone, there was nobody to call upon.

She felt the dark energy of the room shift, and for some reason she felt a brush of air at her feet. "What…" She raised her head from her hands and saw a strange figure entering the room.

It was a teenage girl not much younger than she, with soft velvet brown hair pulled into French braids over her shoulders. She wore a sea blue dress that matched her crystal blue eyes, and a warm face that reminded Jade of the Vega sisters.

The girl's pink lips spread into a smile and she raised her hand up the moment her eyes connected. "Hey there," the girl chimed. "I'm Katie." Jade stayed quiet. She was skeptical of the girl's intentions, but at the same time the girl had a warm and pleasant aura about her. "I wanted to say hi."

"Hi."

"Your name is Jade, right?"

"Yes."

Katie moved like the wind towards Jade's comatose body, and for a moment she thought the girl were skipping. "The ghosts here say you're 'special', so they don't seem to like you." Jade rolled her head to the right, staring sideways at this person.

"It's because I'm being given a second chance, right?"

"I think so." Katie hopped onto the edge of the bed and swept her legs through the air. "I wanted to say hi earlier, but you didn't notice me." Katie gave off a familiar naïve personality, much like the chipper personality that Tori had. It was annoying, and yet Jade couldn't help but to smile at the girl.

She sat upright and pushed her hands along her pants. "You seem pretty young, Katie. What happened to you?" All of a sudden Katie grew quiet, the girl's arms and hands tensed on the edge of the bed while her legs stopped moving. Jade flinched as Katie bowed her head and let her brown bangs conceal her face. "Um, I'm sorry if I've said something wrong?"

"It's okay. Ghosts don't like me much either." She frowned and pursed her lips as Katie raised her head up. The sudden shift in her mood was frightening, and she was afraid of saying something to make this happy teenager lose her head.

"Why?" The light was gone now, and tension filled the air as the girl's body began to shake.

"They call me the moody baby ghost." Katie raised her hands and pushed them through her hair. Her pale eyes closed and the girl inhaled suddenly. The tension in the room started to deplete and Katie flashed a smile. Jade flinched and nearly jumped out of the chair.

"Jesus you do change moods faster than I do."

"Sorry about that." Katie grabbed the front of her dress, tugging on it with a gentle and anxious motion. "It's really difficult to control my emotions. I'm still learning, but I've never developed that." Katie gripped the edge of the bed and rocked forward. "See I'm strange, I'm different than most ghosts. I age."

Her jaw fell open and her eyes grew. "A-Age? How do you age? Ghosts can age?"

"No. ghosts can't age-or well they shouldn't. Developmentally it's incredibly difficult. I'm should be sixteen, but I have the emotional control and mental development of a little child. Sometimes I'm okay, but it's not very frequent."

Jade raised an eyebrow and stood from the chair. "Okay Katie, I heard a 'should be' in there." Katie hopped from the bed and landed with a grunt.

"I died midway through my mother's pregnancy sixteen years ago. It was something genetic that came from bloodlines of mom and dad mixing-the doctors said they should absolutely not have children because of it."

She furrowed her brow and walked towards Katie, placing her hand gently on the girl's shoulder. "Back up a bit." Katie looked up, her blue eyes glistened with new tears and her lips were beginning to quiver. "You died when you were just a baby?"

It was a mind-boggling concept, to think that babies wouldn't cross over their destination. She wondered if Death passed over her, forgot her, or simply left her.

"Yes." Katie exhaled and shook her head. "A baby is almost always guaranteed passage into the light. I was different because of my mom and dad. Babies tend to be able to feel emotion, and I could sense they needed me. When I died, they needed me, so as a baby I attached myself to them. I willed myself to age like a living child is supposed to do, and because of that, Death was unable to take me."

The shock hadn't left her yet, so all Jade could do was stammer and stumble over her words. If a baby couldn't be taken by Death because of either their or their parent's attachment to them, then she wondered if it was commonplace at all.

"Do you know if there are more like you? Or if there's any way for you to cross?"

"I don't want to leave." Katie walked off to the right and looked at the door. "Daddy still needs me. He hasn't let go yet. Momma's ready to move on, but Daddy isn't. I'm daddy's only baby, he hasn't been able to move on yet."

"After sixteen years?" She shook her head and glanced over her shoulder. "What are you doing at this hospital then?" Katie spread her lips apart and spun towards the center of the room.

"I like it. Momma works here." The girl performed a curtsey and bowed. "She saves lives. I like that. I don't like Daddy's job very much." Katie frowned and hugged herself. "It scares me. I'm scared he'll get hurt, and there's always ghosts around depressing him." Jade could feel the air growing chill around her as the color began to drain. "It depresses me too. He does a good work."

"I almost want to ask who your parents are, but I think I know. It doesn't sound right though, you didn't say you have siblings…"

"I do. They almost died, both of them. That's why Momma was able to move on from me, she loves her children and she was the one that had to take care of them when they nearly died."

Jade choked on her words and was about to ask who the siblings were when she got her answer. The room filled with a sudden breeze and Jade turned in time to see Tori standing in the doorway.

The girl's cheeks were wet with tears and she had bags under her reddish eyes. Tori's hands were clutched tight and trembling almost as fast as her quivering lips. "Tori?" Jade breathed out the girl's name and jumped as Tori walked through her.

"Jade." Tori gently placed her hand onto Jade's wrist and stared down at the girl with a firm, tight-lipped expression. A lump swelled within Jade's throat and she looked towards her newest acquaintance.

Katie had grown deathly quiet and gazed at Tori with the saddest eyes. Katie moved towards Tori and raised her hand up, nearly touching the girl's back.

Tori's nostrils flared out and her chest started to expand. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry." Tori bowed her head and shook it gently. "I know I don't like you much, and you hate me because you think I'm going to steal Beck from you or whatever." Jade caught a glare from Katie that pierced her through the heart. "But that hasn't ever stopped me from trying to be a friend."

Tori's shoulders bounced and her voice began to waver. "I never told you when that nurse kept drawing my blood all those years ago that I got really sick from all that blood-loss."

"It almost killed her," Katie whispered. Jade pulled her hand to her chest and gasped out in surprise. "Momma had to order a last minute blood transfusion and fired the other nurse on the spot for breaking the hip-pa-potamous oath."

"Hippocratic," Jade corrected under her breath. "It means to do no harm…" Jade closed her eyes and dropped her hand to her side. "The nurse should have stopped drawing after the first bag disappeared. She shouldn't have been taking blood from Tori in an open area either, it's not allowed or safe." She could have also gone to jail, and Holly-as well as Tori-seemed to imply they knew Jade did it. "I don't know why I didn't get arrested."

"Momma was furious when she saw the security camera, she saw you on there and told Tori. Tori begged her and Papa not to arrest. Papa said he didn't want to waste police resources anyway and Momma told Tori 'okay' as long as you didn't do something to hurt her again."

She couldn't believe or understand how Tori could be so forgiving of her. If she were in the same boat, she wouldn't give someone another chance-especially if it came that close to killing her.

"I forgave you," Tori said under her breath. "I didn't want to for a long time, and even now I'm still angry about it, but there's something good in you. I know there is. That's why every year I pushed for you to come see us around the Holidays, because I know you aren't on good terms with your family, Beck talks about you _all_ the time."

Jade's cheeks began to burn and her eyes drifted towards the door. "He talks about me?"

"Shouldn't he?" Katie asked. "He is your boyfriend."

"Yeah, but I…" She cleared her throat and fell into the chair beside her. She spent so much time being paranoid and thinking he didn't care about her that she couldn't process his actually being faithful and loving. "Why is it so hard for me to believe that?"

"Because you've been hurt so much that doubt and disbelief is hardwired to your brain." Katie's response blew her away; it was like hearing everything Lane ever said put into a nice statement. "I know how out of control my emotions get, so I understand that fear and paranoia you have." Tears started to build in her eyes and she started to smile at the girl. Katie looked away from her and rubbed her left arm with her right. "I know that sometimes having things so haywire just weighs you down and you feel so out of control that you don't feel like you have any strength to do anything-even the simplest thing…"

"I've never heard it put that way." Nor had she met someone that understood her position. "I just want it to get better. I want to be happy, but I can't be." This girl has managed to keep her emotions in check for sixteen years, and yet she couldn't figure out how to do just that after years of therapy. "I don't understand why I can't be."

"Because you're not happy." Katie shrugged and moved away from Tori. Tori was still talking, apologizing for the things she said before the accident, and how she didn't mean any of it. It was standard fare, but Jade couldn't focus on her now. "Tori sees it, and she tried to help you, but she couldn't help you because she doesn't know how."

"How can anyone help me if I don't even know how to help myself?"

"That's just it. You need to be happy with yourself and believe you can control those emotions that are out of whack. Chaos gets tired eventually. I get tired of my ever changing moods, but I can only control it so much because of my circumstances." Jade was astonished by the sudden change in Katie's demeanor. It was amazing how smart this girl was when she wasn't acting childish, but she must have seen a great deal in those sixteen years of being a ghost. "Aren't you tired yet, Jade?"

Her eyes dropped and she took a deep breath. "Yes. I don't know how to be happy with myself though." She extended her hand to Tori and scoffed angrily. "Death wants me to help them, to save them in order to save my life and I don't even know how I can focus on someone else's life when mine is so broken and messed up." She slapped her leg and crossed her arms. "Then this random, weird girl I don't even know shows up saying she's the reason I've got this chance to save myself-and I don't even think I'm worth it."

"That was a beautiful angel. Once she appeared, a lot of ghosts in the place parted away like the sea." Katie's eyes lit up and her lips spread into a wide grin. "She seemed to know you, but…" Katie reached around Jade, catching her off guard with a warm hug. "You're not alone."

The tension in Jade's body seemed to be washed away by the comfort and warmth of Katie's gesture. Her tears flooded her eyes and spilt out onto her cheeks. "Thanks." She hugged the girl back, her breath and hands trembling.

"I know you're scared and worried, but you'll be fine. That spirit lady seemed to believe in you, and my sister has always seen something good about you, so I think you can make it. You just need someone to tell you it'll be okay."

She leaned away from Katie after a second and took some time to process her thoughts. Somewhere Katie had mentioned her father not being over her while her mother was, and then she said she was her father's only baby and the reason she didn't survive was because the bloodlines didn't mix.

This was something curious to note. "Katie? Your mother is Mrs. Vega?" Katie nodded gently and locked her hands behind her back. "Mrs. Vega said Mr. Vega was Tori's and Trina's stepdad."

"Right. I'm the youngest, they're my half-sisters."

"Your mom's been able to move on because she cares about her daughters?"

"Momma loves them, and almost losing them made her realize she didn't want to lose another baby. It made her stop obsessing over how I died. I could stop watching her, she didn't need me anymore. She misses me but she doesn't need me. She forgot them until she almost lost them."

"Then what's Mr. Vega's problem?"

"I was _his_ baby. The doctors told him 'no more'." It sounded as though David were upset, if not jealous, of his stepchildren. They lived and Katie didn't, and then he couldn't have another child. "He's angry, he avoids them because he's upset. He avoids Momma because they fight, they fight about how he's never there. He wants to be there but he drinks when he's off work, he's depressed. He still needs me."

"Doesn't he _care_?"

"He does." Katie looked at Tori and closed her eyes. "But it's difficult for him to show it. Every time he looks at them, he thinks about me, and he can't express how much he cares about his family after that."

Katie moved her wrists in front of her and clamped her left wrist with a firm right hand. "There's a sadness about you, I've seen it every time you're at their home. Why? Why are you so sad, aside from the emotions?"

"It's not the emotions but what causes them, Kate." She threw her hand in the air and looked away. She thought no one had it as bad as her, but she could see she was likely wrong. Whatever the case was, the Vega family had their troubles, so maybe what she and the others saw of them was just a simple mask to obscure the truth.

She turned her head to the side and clenched her eyes. "People leave me all the time, so I expect that of Beck and my dad eventually." Katie frowned and placed a gentle hand onto Jade's shoulder. "People hurt me, so I hurt them. I try to control them so nobody can control me or hurt me. I push Beck away because I don't believe he really loves me, I always think he's going to leave me."

"Your family's broken?"

"My mom was angry and physically abusive all my life." The woman made it clear when Jade was a kid that she would never amount to anything more than dust. The woman loved only Jasmine. "I never did anything right. Jasmine was the star child, she was the perfect sweetheart."

"Jasmine's your sister?"

"Yeah…" Jade crossed her arms and scoffed. She hated thinking about Jasmine now. All throughout her childhood she thought she could count on her older sister to be there, to take care of her. Jasmine was often the one shielding her when their mother went into one of their rages, because their dad was always at work. Their dad never believed the woman because their mom was a perfect angel when he was home from work.

"Jasmine protected me, she loved me, or so I thought." She wiped her eyes with her hands and coughed out a sob. The last time she saw Jasmine was when the girl graduated from high school. "She was around the same age as Trina. Right now, she'd be about twenty-one or twenty-two. She graduated high school and left for college, promising she wouldn't be far…she never came back and never called. She was gone."

Katie hugged her again, holding her tight and crying in silence with her. The silence was an odd comfort. Jade hugged her back and started to sniffle. "You know my mother. My mother left soon after that. She got depressed and would continue to tell me how worthless I was, then one day she drove off and never came back."

"How soon after Jasmine left did that happen?"

"Pretty soon." It was random how it happened. One minute her mom was shouting at her and throwing objects, wishing she was dead, and the next she was gone. Jade leaned back and looked into Katie's eyes. "Mom just stood right up, staring in the distance for what felt like an eternity. Her eyes were cold and dead. She then turned around, walked out the door, got into the car and drove off."

Katie moved her hand to her chin and narrowed her eyes at the ground. "Sounds kind of like possession. Trances usually are. Maybe by a vengeful or angry spirit, or even a protective one. Ghosts can be very powerful, Jade."

"I wouldn't know." She shrugged and glanced over at Tori and her comatose body. Tori was beginning to say her goodbyes, but they didn't matter now. She was beginning to understand how and why Katie was at the hospital, her connection to either Tori or Holly brought her here. "You know, mom didn't disappear long."

"No?"

"No." Her eyes flew back to Katie and her eyebrows closed together. "She drove that car off a bridge." Her mother was about to stab her with a pair of scissors just moments before the trance happened; and it was the first time she got that violent with Jasmine not there to protect Jade, so she might have killed Jade on the spot. "She killed herself all because Jasmine never came back home."

"Jasmine sounds a lot like Trina." Jade's eyebrow rose and she started to shake her head.

"How so?"

"You don't see how protective Trina can be of Tori. Even Tori doesn't see it, because she doesn't show it. She makes an effort not even to act like it, but Trina would do anything for her. When Tori was dating that boy, Danny, and he cheated on her…you would be surprised but Trina gave him hell."

"What did she do?"

"Trina went into martial arts after what happened with Ross, she wanted to defend herself." Jade nodded, understanding how it made sense that Trina would do that. "So when Tori dated that boy and he cheated on her, she kicked his ass. She acts like a girly girl obsessed with fame and glory to throw people off, make people think she's not tough, but she is. Danny learned that the hard way."

"I guess I can see why." If Mr. Vega didn't look after his daughters as much, and it took all this time for Mrs. Vega to get over the loss of her youngest child, then Trina might think Tori had nobody else to look out for her. "Maybe she is a little like Jasmine, but at least Trina hasn't just walked out and abandoned her baby sister."

Katie shrugged. "I guess not. I am a little surprised that Jasmine would have done that, but yeah, Trina would never do that. She wants to leave though, she's tired of people picking on her, but she tries not to let it bother her. She gets stressed out and anxious a lot, and holding it all in doesn't help her."

"I imagine not." Jade stood up and watched Tori walk out of the room. "Katie?"

"What?"

"How do you leave this place?"

"It's hard to just appear wherever you want. You need to attach yourself to people and they'll go wherever. Like taxicabs. I just attach myself to momma or one of my sisters."

"Who are you attached to right now?"

"I've been with momma all day, but I'm going with Tori since she seems ready to go home."

"Can I go along? I know I need to observe your family." Katie smiled openly and nodded.

"Of course!" The chipper, childlike tone returned to Katie's voice and drew a smile to Jade's face as the girl took her hand. "Come with me. It'll be nice to have a friend to talk to."

"A friend? Is that what I am?"

"Now you are."

* * *

So what do you think of everything? What are your thoughts on Katie, and all that Jade has learned about her and the Vega sisters. Also, what do you think about Jade's sister Jasmine, do you have any thoughts about what happened to her or if we'll be seeing her at all if we haven't already? Then what of her mother? Do you think her mother just decided to take her own life or was there something more?


	5. Guarded and Protective

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 5 (Guarded and Protective)

"Does she ever feel your presence?" Jade inquired from the backseat of Tori's car. Katie was to her right, looking at Tori, who was driving. "Do you think they would be able to feel our presence?"

"Maybe," Katie replied. "It's more if we want them to, but sometimes when my emotions are haywire, everyone in the room can feel it." Jade nodded and leaned her head against the cushion of the chair. It wasn't surprising, and it explained some of those moments when Tori's group of friends would suddenly feel these surges of emotions at the same time whenever they were at the girl's home.

Katie's shoulders rose and closed inwards as she flashed a sweet smile. "You'll figure it out. You've already learned how to latch onto someone, though that's easy to do." It did seem easy enough. Katie showed her how, and it was more of willing and thinking about the person you're latching onto. "Keep it up Jade, and you'll learn how to possess and move physical objects."

She raised her head up as Katie laughed. "Do you think I'll have to actually do things like that." It wasn't that she didn't want to learn these things, but that she wasn't sure if she wanted to. "I might have enjoyed doing that before, but now it just feels invasive."

"It is." Jade furrowed her brow and Katie turned around, leaning her back against the corner of the door and seat. The girl's eyes rose into Jade's and her smile dropped for a moment. "If you're possessing a person, there's an appropriate time to do it. The best time is when they're emotionally charged and not alert."

"Oh? They can push you back out?"

"Yeah, if they're strong-willed. Really the thing I just mentioned applies to the strong willed. You can possess somebody at any given time, and it isn't often that you'll find their spirit, soul or will being able to be contained. If the person is willing, they won't fight you. If they're not strong-willed they may fight but can't expel you right away. If they're strong-willed, however, you won't last very long as their soul will expel you almost immediately."

Expulsion sounded frightening, though she was certain it was painless. There might be a consequence to possession, but she wasn't sure what that consequence was. "So how can you tell a person is strong willed?"

"Usually someone with a strong moral center or someone that is constantly on guard will have a strong will. My oldest sister, for instance, cannot be possessed for any extended amount of time."

Jade leaned against her side door and perched her arm on the armrest. "After what I've heard, I'm not surprised." Someone that had gone through what it sounded like Trina had was likely to be very heavily guarded. "I mean she's been picked on, she's been beaten to near death, and she takes self-defense classes. Of course she'd be on guard."

"Yep." Tori began to slow the car down, so Jade looked out and saw her parking in front of a large studio building. Katie bounced happily and pointed. "It's the dojo place where Trina goes."

Tori switched off the engine and hurried out of the car. Jade and Katie were quick on her heels. Before following her inside, a familiar voice caught her attention.

To her right were two men, one of them donned a black cowboy hat, a blue wrangler shirt and long denim jeans. Beside him was a man Jade recognized from a from nearly two years ago, when they were performing something at Mr. Sikowitz's house.

"Katie?" Katie stopped a few feet ahead of her and looked over her shoulder, responding with a quiet hum. "Isn't that Mr. Sikowitz's nephew?" The man wore a black robe over his white _gi_ , and a black belt was tied tight around his waist . "You do know Mr. Sikowitz, I assume?"

"Of course, and yep that's Jason. His full name is Jason Tyler, his mom is Mr. Sikowitz's sister." Katie hurried to her side and her eyes glinted in the sun. "He's a hunk, isn't he?" Jade flinched and leaned her head back slowly.

"Coming from you, I'm surprised to hear that." Back then, she didn't get the big deal with him, but it was mainly because she was in a relationship and didn't have any reason to concern herself with the man. She couldn't deny that he was attractive, but she didn't know he was into martial arts. "He's a martial artist too? Does Trina know him?"

"Know him? Of course. He's taught the class here for a couple years now." Katie sighed dreamily and fluttered her eyes. "He likes Trina, but she doesn't seem to be interested. He hasn't tried to ask her out or anything, but I can tell he sees something in her that attracts him to her."

Her lips formed a circle. "Trina?" She crossed her arms and watched as Jason ran his hand slowly across the back of his neck. He had a tiny stream of blood coming from the corner of his lips, but was smiling and gazing at the building with a look of affection. "Trina, not interested in a guy? Come on Katie, you can't be serious, she's always acting desperate and obsessed about men."

"Key word." Katie's eyelids fell halfway and the girl's body tensed. "Acting." Jade cringed at the memory of what happened between Trina and Sam Ross. "She may put a face on for everyone, she doesn't want anybody knowing how insecure or hurt she really is."

Jade hummed to herself and approached Jason. His friend in the cowboy hat was currently patting him on the shoulder. She was curious what Jason saw in Trina, if he truly seemed to be attracted to her. "She's broken, so what would he see in her?"

"I think we're all broken to an extent, Jade."

"Yeah…but you know what I mean."

Katie followed her, shrugging in the process. "Well for one, she's so focused on her martial arts that she doesn't have time to worry about boys. Girls always seem to swoon over him, even Tori did at that party a couple years ago. 'Member?"

"Yeah I remember." She turned partially, smiling gently. "Cat did too. He hardly got a word out before Cat latched onto him and dragged him out of the house."

Katie's hand curled beneath her chin, and her eyes zeroed in onto Jason. "He's a good guy, but Trina won't give a man a chance. He hasn't even tried to woo her either. I'm not sure why, really. They only spar with one another, nothing more."

"She got you good this time," The cowboy said with a playful laugh. Jason closed his eyes and swept his thumb across the corner of his mouth.

"That's sparring for you, Travis." Jason looked up at his friend and shrugged. "You're going to get hit in sparring matches. That girl has a good punch and a good leg."

Jason looked back at the door with a sigh and lowered his shoulders. His mouth moved into the most subtle smile and his eyebrows slid together. "Man, you know I don't think I can remember a time you were interested in another girl." Jade leaned against a pole and started to chuckle. "You're head over heels."

"What?" He shook his hand in the air, dismissing Travis in an instant. "No I'm not. I just respect her. She's a strong, beautiful woman and that's it. She also doesn't become stupid the minute I walk into a room."

Travis removed his hat and sat down on the bench to Jason's right. "Man, she's got that fire in her eyes like you, but she also has a broken look in there too. Just like you. Why not talk to her? Get to know her outside the class? What can it hurt?"

"If I were interested, I might consider it." Jason stood up and walked past the man, stopping just a few feet away. Jade looked towards the door and her heart jumped into her throat.

Trina was walking outside with her sister. She had on a white _gi_ that was open enough to reveal the purple sports bra she had beneath it and the purple pants running down her legs. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail, dark purple fingerless gloves adorned the hand that was sliding through her hair as she tugged gently at the hair tie holding up the ponytail.

She shook her head to release the hair tie, letting her hair flip from left to right and falling around her shoulders.

Jade turned her head to Jason and she started to smirk. He was watching Trina as though enchanted by her. His strong arms were hanging loose at his sides, and his trembling hands were difficult to detect. "Oh he totally has a thing for her." She watched his ears and cheeks turn red as Trina started towards him.

"Hey Jason." She pulled her towel from her shoulder and patted down the sweat on her neck and chest area. "Sorry about that high kick, I didn't mean to hit your head. Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," he answered. "You're improving on your sparring matches, you should be proud of yourself." Trina's eyes lit up with joy and her lips pulled into a wide grin.

"Thank you Jason." Trina cupped her hands together in front of her waist and raised her shoulders. "Means a lot coming from my teacher." Jade tilted her head to the right and furrowed her brow.

It struck her as something to be curious about, what with Jason being the teacher-or _sensei_ in the world of martial arts. She knew from talking to Mr. Sikowitz some time ago that Jason was only a year or two older than Trina was, so it was difficult to see Trina referring to him as such.

"Yeah."

"So, I'll see you in class next week."

"Of course." Jason's hand slid down his neck. His chest expanded and he looked off to the right. Jade looked at Travis, who was now shaking his bowed head. "Oh I'm sorry about your friend, by the way. What happened there."

"It was terrible." Trina moved her hand to Tori's back, rubbing it gently. "She was more Tori's friend than mine though, but thank you for your condolence."

Jason crossed his arms and his sharp eyes landed on Jade, though she forgot for a moment that he couldn't see her. "Yeah. I know you've mentioned she was a bit of a bully. Are the others still causing you any problems?"

"No. Nothing I can't handle, anyway." Trina smiled at him and reached her hand out, touching him on the upper left arm. "Thank you for your concern, Jason. I appreciate you looking out."

Jade couldn't help but to notice how close they were standing. Their bodies were perfectly angled towards one another, with their feet and shoulders pointing towards the other. "Your thoughts?" She felt a presence beside her all of a sudden, causing her to jump like a cat from where she was.

"Katie!" Her eyes narrowed and Katie laughed happily. "You scared me."

"Sorry about that. I was just wondering what you were thinking about."

Jade moved towards her and gestured at Jason and Trina. "Why aren't they together? That's what I'm wondering. They like each other, it's clear as day."

"Well you know Trina's wary and distrustful of men. She knows they're not all alike, but it isn't easy when you've been hurt not to be afraid."

"Yeah…so why is Jason ignoring things?"

"I don't know. Maybe he's gone through something similar with women?" She began to wonder if there could be something between the two. Much in the way she needed someone with Jason's patience, Trina may need somebody like Jason. They could need each other, but she still didn't know.

Katie mentioned Trina was deceptive towards Tori's friends, and of course she hadn't seen evidence of what Trina was like, but she wanted to see it for herself.

It wasn't long before they were back at the Vega house. The car ride back was silent, which was a surprise considering she thought the sisters might have something to talk about.

Tori did seem to be upset about something; and that was made known when Beck showed up at the house, much to Jade's surprise. She hid out of Beck's sight and watched as Trina dragged him over to the couch.

"Don't be hard on him," she heard Tori say from the kitchen. "Remember he's going through hell right now."

"I know that." Trina sounded bitter. She pushed Beck onto the couch and stepped in front of him, crossing her arms over and glaring down her nose at the man. "You know I do feel sorry for what you're going through, Beck." Beck smiled faintly, nodding his head.

Jade poked her head up, her eyes swelling with concern as she watched them. "I'm sorry Jade picked on you these last few years, Trina. Andre too, and Robbie."

"I'm really not worried about that. I'm worried about my sister."

"Tori?" Jade looked at Tori with confusion. Her Hands tightened around the soft cushion of the couch and she began to ponder what Tori had to do with anything.

"Beck, you know I'm grateful you've been around to be friends with us." Jade held her breath, hoping she wasn't about to witness a huge backlash of anger onto her boyfriend, in such a situation she couldn't help him. "I'm happy that you saved my life all those years ago, I'm glad you haven't told anyone about that ordeal either..." Beck smiled faint and nodded.

"I wouldn't do that, it's not anyone's business."

"Right." Trina uncrossed her arms and dropped them while sighing heavily. "I know you just go along with whatever they say when it comes to putting me down, and I really don't give a shit. They don't know me, and I don't want them to know me."

Beck dropped his head. His hand sailed through his hair and a shuttering breath fell from his lips. "What's the problem, then?"

"Well I do want to make sure you're okay, that you're holding up well, but I want to make sure you're not going to take advantage of the situation." Beck's eyes widened and he almost fell from the couch.

"What?"

"Do you remember the last time you and Jade broke up?" Trina narrowed her eyes and the skin around her nose started to crease like a dog's muzzle in mid growl. "You were barely broken up with Jade when you started making moves on my sister." Jade covered her mouth, catching a gasp with it. "When she pulled away, you tried to convince her to kiss you anyway, making light of the fact that you'd just recently separated from the girl you'd been in love with for the longest time."

"I-I know, I was just trying-"

"My sister's not a rebound, Beck." Trina took a deep breath and jut her hand outward, pointing an accusing finger at him. "She's Jade's friend too, so even then you should respect both her and Jade more than that."

Jade was beside herself with shock. Part of her admired Trina for this, but another part of her was nervous Trina might attack Beck if he said something wrong. The woman's voice was deep and swelling with agitation, but she was standing in a way that didn't suggest violence.

"I promise you my heart is and always will be with Jade." Beck stood up, meeting Trina's fierce gaze with sure confidence. "That was a one-time thing." He put his hand to his chest and extended his left arm towards the door. "Jade's in the hospital in a coma, I'm not interested in cheating on her with anyone."

Trina pulled her hands up to her waist and leaned back her head. She appeared satisfied with the answer, though Jade could see a small amount of doubt in her eyes.

"Look Trina, I've _tried_ to get the two of you to be friends. To talk to each other." Jade jumped back and her jaw fell open. Trina barely reacted, and the only change that came was the tensing of the muscles in her face.

"What makes you think I want to be her friend?"

"You are both alike in different ways. I mean, if you just talked to her-"

"Are you trying to change the subject, Beck?"

"Trina, I'm not going to hurt Jade. Not again. I'm not going to make a move on any girl, much less your sister. I _understand_ and I respect both of them too much to do that." He scratched his hair and paced to the right. "My head was in a bad place then. I was being stupid, I was being selfish. I wanted to forget her, to get over her."

"So you chose to use my sister as a rebound. Jade's friend."

Jade knew a loaded question when she heard it, and that was one by far. Beck was on hot coals right now and would need to choose his words very carefully. Jade knew the boys had the Vega parents fooled to a point, but Trina had seen the side of the men that would likely send even David over the edge.

She knew about the puppet show lie and restraining of Trina, she had become aware that Robbie was the one responsible for Trina's crashing in the school play a year ago, and she knew Robbie tended to stalk the sisters. Without a doubt, Trina was aware of these things as well and was trying to protect both herself and Tori.

"I never meant to hurt or to use Tori." Beck's hand slid down his face and he looked towards the kitchen. "And I am sorry for that. I've changed though, I only have eyes for Jade, and I wouldn't do anything to mess that up. Just like I wouldn't do anything to hurt the friendship that I have with you guys."

"You have a good friendship with Tori, but I'm not sure about myself. You may have helped get me to the hospital when I needed someone's help, but after all these years, you've done little to preserve any friendship."

"I'm sorry Trina. I really am."

Trina shook her hands and turned to the side. "It's fine." Beck frowned at her and started to slouch. "Just don't hurt Tori, that's all I'm concerned about. Don't use her, don't hurt her, and don't hurt your girlfriend either." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "You, your girlfriend, Andre and Robbie can say anything you want about me, I don't care. When it comes to my little sister, that's where I draw the line."

"Good men are hard to find," Tori said with a laugh. Jade turned around, raising her eyebrow. Trina did the same, walking towards her sister with a light step. "Right Trina? They can hurt you, lie to you, cheat on you, steal from you…"

"Not all men, Tori. To be honest, I'm sure there are good ones out there." Jade was astonished by what she was hearing, albeit more who was saying what. She didn't expect _Tori_ to say something like this, nor did she expect Trina to be the one to come to the defense. "It also goes on the side of women too. A lot of women out there think they're the perfect gender and make themselves out to be only victims and men are always the bad guys, but they can be just as callous."

"I know. It's just…I haven't seen a lot of good men." Tori dropped an empty carton of milk into the trash bin beside the counter and narrowed her eyes. "When it comes to Danny, or the boys you've dated, it's hard to tell." Tori leaned against the counter and swept her hair behind her ear. "Even Robbie's a stalker, then Andre can't stop using women. Dating a new girl every week. 'Prince Charming' doesn't exist."

"Neither does princess charming." Trina smirked and turned away, laughing with a playful tone. "Perfect people don't exist anywhere, Tori. There are good people and there are bad people, you can only hope to find someone good."

The doorbell sounded off and a hush fell over everyone. "Expecting anyone else?" Beck asked finally. Trina shook her head and walked to the door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see Jason standing there.

Jade perked up, almost walking in front of Beck in order to get a better view. When she saw Jason holding up a large purse, offering it to Trina, Jade could feel butterflies in her stomach.

"You forgot this," Jason said plainly. Trina's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she took the purse from him and stared down at it.

"Thank you." Jade grinned from ear to ear and almost shouted for Trina to invite the man in. "I didn't even realize I left it, that could have been a nightmare."

"Yeah, I thought you might have something important in it."

Trina curled her hair over her ear and smiled gently. "I'm surprised you brought it over. Most people would have just left it in the lost and found." Trina set the purse on the table next to the door and took a deep breath. "Then, you're not most people, are you?" Jason chuckled once and shook his head.

"No, I suppose not."

It was strange not seeing Trina acting head over heels for someone, much less a man of Jason's physique and demeanor. He seemed like a good man, one of the few good natured people out there. To think their relationship was nothing more than a few fleeting glimpses and sparring matches outside of class, Jade was aghast.

She knew people didn't need a relationship to make them happy, but she did wonder if a relationship with a good man might help Trina have a more positive outlook towards relationships as a whole. All things considered, Jason could be just the right guy to help her see that.

"So I'll see you in class," Jason said with a smile. Jade's heart dropped and she wanted to scream at the pair. Trina smiled back at him and said her goodbye before shutting the door.

"Idiots," Jade huffed under her breath, "both of you."

* * *

Right now Jade's mostly observing the Vega family and those around them, of course she has to get to seeing what is going on before she can do anything. So what are your thoughts? How do you think the conversation with Beck went? What do you see that might be something Jade could potentially help with, and how can she do anything when she's just a ghost? Possession is possible, but we can't forget that Trina's among the type of personality which a ghost cannot possess for long. That said, I wonder if Jade's mother died as a result of ghost possession...


	6. Progress

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 6 (Progress)

Jade found the best time to observe the family wasn't when they had friends over, but when no one was there. If they didn't act the same as they did with their friends nearby, then she didn't want to see how they were in such an instance.

"I have to help them, but I need to figure out what the problem is." She moved down the steps, seeing through the darkened living room as though it were lit up by the lights of the house and sun. "Tori and Trina are sleeping, so I'll observe the likeliest problem first." She rolled her eyes and looked over to the couch with a subtle sigh. "Whatever that is."

It seemed to her that David might be at the root of whatever problems there were with the household, but that was uncertain. There were plenty of issues that could come up from what she heard Tori talking about, and each of the family members might have their own thing going on.

It was always possible she had to help them individually. The major issue she had was not knowing exactly how she could help or what she could do. Katie talked about supernatural powers ghosts had, but Jade had little clue how to use those.

For now, she was simply amazed at the ability to see at night, so there was no use in turning on the lights. "Okay, where do I begin." She put her hands to her hips and scanned the area. "I don't know where Katie is. Since Mrs. Vega's still working at the hospital right now, she might have gone there." Even Mr. Vega had been called away to a homicide. The only one still in the house was Trina; Tori was invited to a sleepover party at Cat's place.

Nearby was a quart sized soda bottle with about a third of fluid left. Jade walked towards it, contemplating levitation of physical objects. Already she'd been able to sit in a physical chair, so it couldn't be hard to lift or uncap an empty bottle of soda.

"Okay." Jade rubbed her hands together and took a deep breath. "Katie says _emotion_ and _will_ drives ghost powers the most. Mentally, I need to focus on what I want and it will be."

She planted her palms on the table and narrowed her eyes on the bottle. Each muscle in her body began to relax as she thought about making the bottle move to the right, where it would tilt on the edge of the sink and fall in.

After a minute of willing the bottle to move, she started to become frustrated when it wouldn't budge. So she took a deep breath and focused more while grinding her teeth together. "Move into the sink."

Moving an object mentally was harder than doing it physically. Katie explained that physical movement didn't take much effort, and used her sitting in a chair as an example. Because one doesn't think about sitting down and one doesn't doubt or fear they will fall through the chair, they simply sit down. Regardless, because of the easiness, she wanted to work on practicing the harder mobility first.

If she could move objects mentally, then she could move more than just one or two objects at a time, although that would take greater effort.

Jade leaned forward, hissing at the bottle. "Come on," she said with a low growl. "Move." A vein bulged in her neck and her right hand fingers started tapping the counter. Another minute passed in vain, and her impatience continued to grow. "Move damn it."

It could be as simple as faith. Part of her doubted she could move it, and it was possible that she was thinking too much about it.

So far much of what she had done, she'd done with little thought. Whether it was walking through a door or attaching herself to someone, the result was almost instantaneous. "Thinking about moving it must be too much. I don't know." In her frustration she swung her hand through the air and struck the bottle with the tips of her finger.

To her surprise, the bottle flew off the counter and fell to the floor with a bounce. Her hands moved to her lips and her eyes shot to the stairs, freezing on the top and waiting for the hallway light to appear. When the light didn't turn on and no movement came, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Without thinking, she grabbed the bottle from the floor and set it back in place. Her heart stopped and her hand grew firm around the cylinder. "Oh my god…I picked it up." She laughed happily and did not release her hold and continued to revel in her excitement.

In order to test what happened, Jade reached for the sink and turned the knob without thinking about the process. The knob turned and water spewed from the faucet without hesitation.

"Just do it," Jade said with a quick breath. "Don't think, just do it." Whatever she wanted could happen if she simply did it. If she commanded it with full certainty that the result would be what she wished, then it would happen. "I want to start with small things and work my way up, but I'm liking this."

She was mainly thrilled that she could be of some use. She didn't know when physically moving objects would come in handy, but it was something she did want to know how to do.

Turning off the faucet, Jade grinned from ear to ear and clapped her hands in triumph. It was then she noticed a tiny red light coming from the back corner of the ceiling. "Cameras?" She gasped in surprise and took a small step back. She never thought about the Vega family having cameras in their home, but it made sense considering David's career-even more now since Holly was so suspicious of Tori's friends.

"I hope he doesn't review tonight's footage." They didn't need to live through paranormal activity. Granted Mr. Vega probably didn't review security footage unless he suspected something happened overnight.

The next thing she wanted to practice was the range throughout the house. She closed her eyes and pictured David's study, a room she'd only seen a few times from when he had the door open and she was in the house.

A strange tingling sensation washed over her and a gust of wind soon followed, brushing against her neck and shoulders. Opening her eyes, she found herself facing David's desk. Her heart skipped a beat and she exclaimed in triumph.

It was odd feeling so happy, but for the first time since becoming a ghost, she didn't feel hopeless. This power meant she could do something, though she didn't know how helpful it was. If it was helpful in any way whatsoever, she was a step closer to being able to help the Vega family however Death wanted them to be helped.

So far, all she could see in regards to usefulness was scaring the shit out of family or doing fancy tricks with one or two hands, and that wasn't going to be helpful in any way.

She left the study and stopped partway into the living room, swinging her arms aimlessly and clicking her tongue out of boredom. Ghosts couldn't sleep, nor could they get hungry; so eating out of boredom was out of the question.

The clock on the wall chimed at the midnight hour, leaving Jade with another six hours before anyone would wake up. According to Tori, Trina woke every morning at five-thirty and would leave to jog five miles, and then she'd return and take a shower.

Jade spent the time she had trying to practice the mental manipulation of moving objects, with little successes and some failure. It was a mundane process, and it was a strange feeling to be staying up all night at someone else's home.

By four o'clock, neither of the Vega parents had returned home. David's homicide investigation took a turn for the worse, and as a result, the hospital's business jumped up. Jade only knew this because Katie had popped in to let her know what was going on.

When she heard the engine of a car pulling into the drive outside, she got excited just by someone else being around and ran through the front door. Jade stepped off the porch and glanced at the car in the drive, raising an eyebrow and shaking her head.

It was a brown dodge charger and two people were in the front seat. She didn't recognize either the driver or the passenger. The passenger got out first and slung a pack over his shoulder and onto his back. He was thin and had an auburn buzz cut. He was wearing what looked like a blue soccer jersey and long brown pants that hung loosely over the heel of white sketchers.

"Are you sure we have to stop here, Mitchell?" The driver asked after leaning his head out the window. Mitchell twisted around and waved his hand in the air.

"Go on home, I've got everything I need." He turned back towards the house and looked at a window on the second floor. Jade started feeling nauseous and began thinking of Katie, hoping to either appear where the girl was or somehow the girl would appear where she was. "See you around, Kenny."

The minute he began to move, Jade rushed after him. If there was one thing she knew about this man, it was that he had no business being at the Vega home at four in the morning.

Mitchell climbed over the fence to the back of the house, then opened the latch on the other side. He pushed the gate open and proceeded to sneak towards the wooden shed in the back of the yard.

Fearful of what he was doing, Jade ran back into the house with the intention of somehow rousing Trina from her sleep. "Someone's going to try and break into the house. I have to stop them." She began towards the stairs and screamed when Katie appeared in front of her.

"What's wong?" Katie asked, her expression turning to concern as Jade fell onto the floor. "Mommy's almost done with her shift at work, I think they have a handle on the victims that were coming in from the store robbery."

"Who's Mitchell?" Jade blurted out. She hopped to her feet and watched as Katie grew sullen. The change in demeanor struck her heavily and she looked towards the back door, bouncing on her heels with impatience. "Katie?"

"Mitchell was Trina's very first boyfriend. A soccer player-" Katie flashed a smile and started to curl her hair with her finger. "She's into athletes."

"You don't say…"

"Yeah. Anyway, it didn't last too long and she broke things off with him, but he didn't see their relationship as over."

"So he's a stalker?"

"Yeah. I mean…" Katie scratched her hair and looked up the stairs. "He stalked her for a while until Momma threatened him. When Trina dated again, he stalked the people she dated, saying that she was 'meant for' him. They got a restraining order on him and he became aggressive, stalking her again and making threats until he was arrested and thrown in jail."

Her heart sank and a tremor of fear swept through her. "So he was in jail…how long?"

"Fairly recently I think, so he's probably still-" A clanging noise echoed from the walls of the house, cutting Katie off. Jade feared the worst and started running for Trina's room, knowing that Mitchell had been eyeballing her window earlier.

Trina's bedroom window was open, and was covered by purple silk curtains swaying gently in the wind. "No!" Her heart continued to pound as her frenzied gaze fell onto the top edge of a latter resting on the bottom of the window.

"Wake up Trina." Jade rushed for the sleeping girl and tried to rouse her, but her hand sailed through Trina's bare shoulder. "No, wake up." She raised her voice and felt a bead of sweat rolling down the side of her face.

A shadow descended onto the floor and Jade held her breath as Mitchell's head began to poke into view. "You're not allowed in here," she screamed while running towards him. She grabbed the ladder and began to shake it in an effort to frighten the man.

Mitchell gripped the ladder firmly and looked down with a nervous chuckle. "Damn it's windy out tonight." Jade's jaw fell and she walked backwards. Her body continued to shake with fear as she watched his hand sliding into the window. He glanced at Trina with a smirk and raised his eyebrows. "There you are."

"Go away."

"Did you miss me?"

"Go away, creep." Her hands clenched tight and she ground her teeth together while watching Mitchell push his shoulders through the window. "No…" Mitchell began pulling his right leg up, laughing under his breath.

"I sure missed you."

"Trina would kick your ass." She could tell Trina wasn't the Pollyanna she accused her of being in the past. The girl was tough, different than Jade had seen in the past. "Go away, Mitchell." Her final words were spoken with a deep and virulent hiss joining them.

Within seconds a burst of energy blew from her body and struck Marcus, causing the ladder to move away from the window. He grabbed the top rung with a frightened shout. Jade pulled her hands up and shoved them towards the man, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"I said go away!" The bedroom light and lamp beside Trina's bed started flickering, and the air in the room began to spin out of control. Trina sat upright in her bed staring at the now flying curtains with wide eyes.

The window sliced downward, almost cutting Mitchell's hand. The boy looked over his shoulder, screaming as the ladder started to sway back and fall. A paralyzing sensation shot through her as she realized what she'd just done.

She looked down at her trembling hands, gasping as Trina ran to the window. "Did I do that?" Jade asked aloud. It was the mental manipulation of objects that she'd been trying so hard earlier. "Oh god." Her head rose up and she watched Trina lean out the window. "Oh god, did I kill him?"

"No," Katie answered. Jade spun around, startled again by the girl's sudden appearance. Katie laughed once and crossed her arms. "He's alive, but you scared him good."

"Katie?" Her breathing came out in quick, successive breaths, and she could feel a deal of weight crashing through her. She'd forgotten about Katie for a moment, but now she wondered where the girl had been. "He was trying to sneak in through the window. I didn't know what to do. You were gone, I could have used your help!"

"It's okay. I wasn't gone either, I was waiting to see if you would do something." Katie pat Jade's shoulder and walked in place of Trina just as Trina went to grab her phone from the end table. "He's unconscious. Jumped off the ladder at the last second, but hit that tree over there." She extended her hand out the window. Jade followed her gaze and cringed when she saw the sight.

Mitchell was sprawled out on the ground, with his head and neck bent to the right. The trunk of a large oak was touching his shoulder and the left side of his head. Like Katie, she could tell he was still alive. His body was barely moving, indicating shallow breaths, and Death was nowhere to be seen. If he was dead, he would have jumped from his body as well.

She closed her eyes and sank to the floor, leaning her back against the wall. "Anyway." Katie flung her hair over her left shoulder and smiled faintly. "I was at the bottom of the ladder, ready to go Grudge Girl on Mitchell if you didn't do something." Jade's head shot up and her eyes enlarged.

"You were-what?" The image of Katie climbing after Mitchell at breakneck speed, with her dark hair covering all of her face but one eye, was a frightening one. The light gown that Katie wore made the visual seem all the more real. "How would you even-"

"It takes a _lot_ of energy to do, but a ghost can make themselves appear to the living. It's not recommended that you do because of the massive amount of energy required, you'd be out of commission for days." Katie folded her arms and shrugged. "That pretty lady from the hospital told me to make sure you knew not to do that unless you really have to." She flinched, wanting to ask more, but was thrilled when Katie answered without her asking. "Um, when I made contact with you, the lady appeared to me at the hospital and told me to make sure to keep helping you. I wanted to be your friend before that though."

"I understand. Thanks." She shook her head slowly and wrapped her arms around her legs. "Did she tell you who she was, by the way? I know her, I feel like I know her, and she's really familiar but I can't-"

"I'm sorry Jade." Katie bowed her head and exhaled. "She didn't tell me who she was."

"Oh..."

Within the next half hour, Trina had gotten dressed and was pacing the living room floor. Jade and Katie watched from the kitchen. Three police officers were getting a statement, one of them was Officer Gary Malone. "I can't explain what happened." Trina rubbed her arms and squinted at the door. "I woke up in time to see him trying to come into through my window, the next thing I know, he's falling off the ladder."

"At least you're safe," Gary said with a sigh. Gary looked at the door where an officer was reading Mitchell his rights. The man narrowed his eyes at the boy and started to sneer. "Lock him in a holding cell and pray a judge doesn't give him an affordable bail."

Mitchell was being arrested on the charge of breaking and entering. It took Jade a moment to understand the charge and the difference between that, burglary, and robbery. Robbery involved a deadly weapon, of which Mitchell didn't appear to have one in his hand.

In his backpack however, police officers found a pair of handcuffs, a rag, and some wire. They did find a small pocketknife stashed in the leftmost pocket, but they weren't sure if he intended on using it. It didn't take long to deduce what the man's intention was.

Burglary as she understood it was the act of stealing something. There was a chance they could count a burglary charge if they considered how he broke into the backyard and the shed, then stole the ladder.

"Why is Officer Malone here?" Jade inquired of Katie. "Doesn't he work homicide?"

Katie nodded and sat on a stool near the counter. "You don't know?" She folded an arm on the surface of the counter and rolled her head to the side. Jade's left eyebrow rose and Katie looked at Trina and Gary with a sigh. "Gary is the father of both Trina and Tori." Her jaw fell agape and she practically fell to the ground.

"He's what?"

"He's the dad. He and Momma met in college, he was on the baseball team. They got married just before he graduated and joined the military." Jade leaned over the counter, crossing her arms and keeping her focus onto Gary. "He went into this special ops thing, really big but really frightening, so momma was always worrying herself to death. Their marriage suffered and they separated."

"Okay. You're not much younger than Tori, two or three years younger…"

"Yeah." Katie shrugged and closed her eyes. "Momma met Dad a little bit before she and Gary separated. He and momma aren't having an affair, he's just a big part of his kids' lives."

That was stunning, though she didn't know where she originally thought Holly and Gary were having an affair. She could suspect it if David was truly as negligent as he seemed, there was a chance that Holly might decide to go back to her first husband.

It was still intriguing to learn this information.

Jade smiled when she saw Trina hug her father. Her heart rose and the exhaustion in her body seemed to fade as a sense of relief swept over her.

It was short-lived however. When she saw Death appear in the room, she moved away from the table and rushed over to him. "What's going on?" Jade's tone was accusative. Death looked at her with a laugh, crossing his arms and smirking. "Mitchell's not dead. Or am I actually done? I saved Trina."

"You're right, nobody's dying tonight. I'm only checking in on you." Death motioned to Mitchell and lifted his eyebrows up. "Good work on that, by the way." Jade ran her hand through her hair and straightened her back as confidence oozed from her.

"So I'm done?"

"No." He was blunt and swift in his answer, but calm and quiet at the same time. It came to her like a punch to the gut, deflating the ego she was trying to build. "The problem is with every member of this family, and where the eldest child is concerned, you've only began to make progress-though only a fraction. You have yet to work on the others."

"Whose life is in danger, Death? You've said nothing."

"Right now?" He turned towards her and shrugged. "Right now each of them are on a path to destruction. They're _all_ in danger, and it may not be by the same cause. It doesn't mean they're in danger of _dying_ either." She groaned as he began to fade. "You've only just begun to work. I'll be watching. So will the angel."

She gasped, remembering the vaguely familiar girl from before. "No, I'm not done. I have more questions, quit being vague!" She reached for him, trying in vain to grab him before he vanished. Tears swelled under her eyelids and she held back a scream of frustration. "Come back. How am I supposed to know what I'm saving these people from if I don't even know what the problem is!"

She couldn't deny that she made progress in other areas, and that was somewhat uplifting. Mental manipulation of objects relied clearly on emotion to be most powerful, so she had to focus on that.

As for the unknown factor threatening the future of this family, she was confident she'd find out. Until then, she would continue to observe the family members and find out as much as she could about them.

* * *

So, how did you like this chapter? What are your thoughts? How was Jade's handling of Mitchell, and will we see him again? Death's right, each of the family members have their own thing that Jade's going to have to help with. Certain actions may lead to the destruction of someone else and so forth. Now that Jade's starting to realize a bit of what she can do as a ghost, how helpful do you think she can be?


	7. Tori's Grudge

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: I was going to wait a couple of days before updating, but I'm excited to see your reaction to the surprise and bit of a twist in this chapter (Especially you IJ, you'll see why), so in my anticipation I give you chapter 7.

* * *

Chapter 7 (Tori's Grudge)

The next day Jade decided to shadow Tori. Trina was still shaken by what happened the night before, and hadn't talked to her sister about it from what Jade could tell. Though during the car ride, it was clear by the constant side glances Tori was giving the girl that she knew something happened.

Trina brought the car to a stop near Hollywood Arts and smiled faintly at her sister. "What's on your mind?"

"You know." Tori shrugged and crossed her arms. "Dad and the police came to our house last night and you were the only one there. Something happened, and I can tell it's bothering you." Jade turned her head to Trina, hoping that she'd tell her little sister what took place.

Instead of telling her anything, Trina smiled with certainty and pat Tori's left forearm. "It's okay Tori." She was acting tough, in Jade's opinion; trying not to let that fear she bore the night before show now. "I'll tell you about it when we have more time. I don't want you worrying about it right now."

"I'm going to worry about it because you're not telling me." Tori grabbed her purse from between her feet and slung the strap over her shoulder. "I don't even know if you're hurt." Trina pulled her hand back to the steering wheel and shook her head.

"I'm not hurt. Someone tried to break into the house, and I called the cops." Tori's eyes enlarged and her eyebrows rose beneath her bangs. "That's all I'm going to say right now. We'll talk about it later, okay?" Tori bowed her head. The corners of Trina's mouth sank into her cheeks, and her shoulders started to fall. "Listen…two of your friends just had a massive accident, and one of them is in a coma. You don't need more stress, okay?"

"And you don't have to protect me." Jade winced at the sharpness in Tori's answer. She actually agreed with Trina for once and didn't think now was an appropriate time to say the stalker ex showed up to try and kill her. She understood Tori's frustration, but thought she needed to have more patience with Trina.

Tori shoved the door open and swept her fingers through her hair with a scoff. Before Jade took off, she took one last look at Trina. The elder sister bore a deep frown and shook her head before shifting the car's gear into drive.

Jade left the vehicle with somber hesitation and followed after Tori. Seeing this other side to Trina, she couldn't help but to relate to some of that toughness the girl was trying to hold in. Beck had been right, it would have been interesting to be friends with Trina, but now it was much too late and she could see that.

Trina would be too guarded, much as Jade was, and far too skeptical of anything she did or said. "Why does she put on a show, though?" It was the one thing Jade couldn't figure out. For her, she acted tough to control how people treated her and so nobody could harm her. For Trina, she put on a front to act like a drama queen begging for attention.

Yet people ostracized and avoided Trina in much the same way that people avoided Jade. People avoided Jade because they were terrified of her, people avoided Trina because they thought she was weird and insane.

The more Jade contemplated, the more she came to realize that the contrast between them wasn't so different. Trina wasn't quite there, but she was close to being what Jade often pretended to be, while Jade was close to what Trina pretended to be.

She loved the attention she got from people, and she enjoyed being in the spotlight even if it meant pushing someone out of it. While she wasn't a drama queen or a diva by any means, she still craved as much attention as possible.

"Maybe we need to find that middle ground," Jade said aloud. Beck was her stabilizer, so perhaps Trina needed a stabilizer too.

As the words appeared in her mind, she heard Mr. Sikowitz start talking to Tori. When she looked over, she saw Jason standing next to his uncle. Her curiosity peaked and she moved over, wondering what Jason was doing there.

"Do you know of anyone that might be interested in joining my nephew's academy downtown?" Sikowitz asked. Tori bit her lip and furrowed her brow. "Jason here is recruiting at the moment."

"I don't know." Tori folded her arms at her stomach and raised her shoulders up. "Maybe Jade once she comes out of that coma." Her ears perked and she grinned openly. Learning martial arts and self-defense was something she'd enjoy.

Sikowitz's bushy eyebrows started to come together and he trailed his fingers through his beard. "Do you think Trina would be okay with Miss West joining that class?" Tori shrugged again and rolled her eyes.

"I don't know, maybe. It's not like she tells me what she thinks about things." Jade did a double take as both Sikowitz and his nephew looked at Tori with skepticism. Hearing Tori say that about her sister after witnessing how devoted Trina is to looking after her struck Jade hard.

She was used to Tori outright bashing her older sister to everyone, but that was before she saw another side to Trina. "That's not fair," Jade whispered as though Tori could hear her. "You know your sister is real with you, you should be real with her."

Jade followed Tori to where the rest of the friends were. Beck wasn't there, but because he was a part of a group project, he called Tori earlier to say he was feeling sick and thought he was hallucinating.

"Hey Tori." Andre waved as the girl approached. His smile was bright and his eyes appeared to light up when they landed on her. Jade had never noticed this before and was curious if there was something to it. Although, she was fairly certain Tori had little interest in him. "Is everything alright? We heard what happened at your place last night."

"Yeah, but Trina won't tell me anything. She never does."

"Man that girl is caught up in her own world."

Tori pulled her purse strap higher on her shoulder and chuckled out her reply. "Pretty much. She called the cops, and it's probably just some attention seeking scheme or something." Tori waved her hand in the air and guided the group towards the school doors.

Jade remained frozen, her mouth agape and her wandering eyes darting from person to person. She knew herself enough to know she would have laughed with them. She would have ridiculed Trina all on what Tori said, without knowing any of the facts.

"Did that just happen?" She knew Tori was angry that Trina wouldn't tell her what was going on right away, and judging by the smile on her face as her friends laughed with her, she knew their laughter and attention made her feel better about the situation. Even still, it was unfair and inappropriate.

There had to be more to this; there had to be some reason Tori behaved in this manner. "Whatever's going on in your head…" Jade narrowed her eyes and closed her hands tight. "I will find out."

She hated for people to talk shit about her behind her back, so now that she saw it was exactly what was happening to Trina, she was appalled. Much more than that, she knew her own bullying of the girl was done based solely on whatever Tori said, and now what she saw made her feel more like an ass than anything else.

Katie may have some idea what was going on, but unfortunately the girl wasn't around.

Furthering all of this, Jade could tell Trina had the sort of personality where she wouldn't let such behavior fly. Yet she did. "It occurs to me…" Her eyelids fell halfway and her voice fell flat. "That I know very little about the Vega family. Less than I thought I knew."

Observing Tori at school wasn't going to be the best option. Tori wouldn't be herself here, but more than that, she couldn't learn about the family here. She needed to go elsewhere to find out just how real these people truly were.

Moments later Jade appeared in the lobby of Sherwood High School. She figured since it was where Tori went before transferring to Hollywood Arts, then she might learn something about her here that she hadn't known before.

"Tori never talks about Sherwood." She clapped her hands together and glanced from side to side. "She never even wants to come by here, much less let us see the place."

The front lobby looked fairly simple. She was facing large glass doors that led out to the front of the school. To her left was the front office, and to her right were doorways leading down a small set of stairs into a large cafeteria.

Behind her were another set of glass doors that led into a courtyard. The courtyard had an open ceiling and looked almost like a park with stone walkways. To her immediate left were glass doors leading to two sets of stairs, one going up and one going down. To her right, down a small walkway, were glass doors leading into a white tiled hallway.

She decided to walk forward, making note of a large rectangular area to her left that was closed off by glass windows and doors on the sides. Inside was a ticket booth and two doors leading into what appeared to be an auditorium. "I wonder if Tori did any performing here," Jade said aloud.

Continuing past that area, she saw another set of glass doors with stairs going up and stairs going down. "God this place is huge…" Her eyes trailed towards her right as an intimidating sensation swept through her. "More doors on this side? God. Damn Tori, this school might be bigger than ours."

The courtyard alone was massive.

She entered the doors and found herself at a crossroad. There was a hallway in front of her, leading out into another hallway going straight across, like a T. To her left was a hallway running down into a dead end, and a door on either side. To her immediate left, adjacent to the doors she'd just entered, was an L-shaped hallway.

Her heart constricted as she started hitting her closed hands against each other, moving her right hand from the top of her left to the bottom, then back to her right. "I'll go back to the auditorium. Maybe there's trophies there…"

When she went back to the auditorium, she spent an untold amount of time examining the trophies to no avail. Tori's name wasn't mentioned anywhere, and even the theater office that she found didn't have record of her.

She decided to give up and go onto another area, choosing the long hallway that went into three directions. The ramp went down into another hallway area that appeared to be athletics. Jade took a break here to investigate, curious if Trina attended Sherwood as well.

To her surprise and amazement, Trina had been here before. The sports offices were down another flight of stairs and past a weightlifting room where there were photographs of various students-one of which was Trina on a bench press.

Trina had also been a part of the varsity track team, a team that won a few city and state championships. She was also on the gymnastics team, which went to regionals. Furthering her research, Jade discovered that Trina had also been on the girl's wrestling team a year before her transfer to Hollywood Arts.

In the wrestling coach's office was a letter the coach kept on her desk that was from Trina. Jade read it to herself, raising an eyebrow.

"Coach Lowry, thank you very much for your vote of confidence and recommendation to the athletic director at Hollywood Arts. You were right, they have some of the best athletic programs in the area, but I'm really worried they're going to make me sing or something. It seems they're obsessed with that stuff, but if I have to act like I'm into it in order to attend, so be it. It'll be worth it to be a part of their athletic program. Thank you so much, you have been a fantastic friend, mentor and teacher. I will never forget you. Sincerely, Katrina Vega."

Jade leaned her head back, surprised and bewildered. "She has some talent after all." From the sound of it, Trina didn't care much for the acting or the singing, and had just used that to be able to stay with the athletic program. Still, it didn't explain to Jade why she acted the way she did and why Tori seemed to be how she was.

Jade pat down her clothing and looked around as the sour scent of sweat and musk began to sting her nose. "Onto other areas of this school. Tori's no athlete, and clearly she wasn't into performance arts."

She returned to the former hallway, staring down at yet another hall. Jade rolled her eyes and followed the long corridor. The corridor had two other hallways attached to it, one at the farthest end and one in the center, they extended on for what seemed like another mile.

As she explored, she found these two hallways had various miniature hallways branching off them, forming more tiny corridors with classrooms. Each was designated with a letter: A-hall, B-hall, D-hall ironically.

Jade walked and walked, growing exhausted in her mind with each step, until she walked into a small chemistry class out of pure boredom. Class was in session of course, and the teacher was lecturing on the periodic table of elements. "Of all the places I could have gone to end my boredom, I had to walk into a science class?" She rolled her eyes and groaned. "Boring."

"Hey! Chemistry isn't boring." Jade froze and looked in the direction of the speaker. It was a girl that seemed familiar to her. She had long blonde hair, thick glasses resting on her sharp and freckled nose, and wore a light patterned dress. "What are you doing anyway?"

"You can see me?" She shook her head and walked towards the girl. No one else was reacting, so she could only assume this poor girl was a ghost. "You're so young." The girl put her hand to her hip and tilted her head.

"So are you. What brings you to H-105?"

"Research. Not scientific, sort of not…My name's Jade. Jade West."

"Oh, I've heard of you." Jade cringed and fear paralyzed her. She didn't want to be recognized, since recognition only meant the worst of judgements was coming her way. "I'm Courtney." The girl smiled gingerly and extended a hand as a gesture. Jade hesitated for a second, then shook the girl's hand. It was clammy and cold like ice, but Jade grit her teeth and smiled through the dreadful chill. "Courtney Van Cleef."

All of a sudden the cold chill extended through her body, and shock sparked through her frozen heart. "W-Wait. Van Cleef?" A lump formed in her throat and she pulled her hand away slowly. "Not like Sinjin Van Cleef."

"Yep." The girl spread her arms out and held her smile. "That was my older brother. How is he? I haven't seen him in a long time." Her heart sank and her hands began to tremble. Sinjin moved away some time ago, but she didn't have the heart to say that.

"Good, I suppose. I haven't seen him in a while either."

"I guess not." Courtney breathed in deep and crossed her arms. "So Jade, why are you here?"

"I was trying to find out some information about Victoria Vega. Her past." Courtney's eyes glazed over and began to fill with tears, a concerning sight for her. "Um, I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?"

"No." Courtney wiped the tears from her cheeks and gasped out. "I knew her extremely well." The girl's mouth rose into a faint smile and Jade detected something strange in her eyes. "We were best friends. She was my science lab partner for years."

"Science?"

"Yeah, she wanted to be a scientist. Save the world one day." She didn't know how to respond to this. Science was the last thing she thought Tori was involved in, but it made a little bit of sense. Courtney pursed her lips and scrunched her nose. "Why? Is she not interested anymore? I know she left Sherwood because of some negative experiences, but-"

"I thought she left because she got put in that big showcase?"

"Yeah. That." Courtney twirled her finger in her hair and sighed. "She made her older sister throw that because Trina said it was the best way to impress the people and get into the school." She threw her hand over her heart and stumbled back a step, catching herself just before she fell over.

"You're saying Trina threw it because Tori asked her to?"

"Well it wasn't like Trina cared."

"Still…"

Courtney locked her index fingers together and swayed to the right. Her eyes drifted away and the girl began humming. "Trina's always looked after Tori. They love each other, even if they don't show that. Trina…knows some things about Tori, she's always had Tori's best interest at heart even if that messed up."

"What are you talking about?"

Courtney ran her hand over her neck and closed her eyes. "I think these days Tori has Trina on a rope. She wants Trina to act a certain way or something because she's mad at her."

She scoffed and raised her hand up. "Mad? What could Tori possibly be mad at Trina for?"

Courtney walked around her, sliding her fingers along the surface of a nearby desk. "Well…" The girl looked down at the floor and took a deep breath. "Trina was trying to coax her into something, trying to help her confidence and make her see that certain things weren't so bad." Courtney was being purposefully vague and coy, so Jade was already frustrated as it was, but she decided it was best to let the girl speak.

"Go on."

"So we did." Jade squinted her eyes and Courtney raised her head to the ceiling. "It backfired big time. People picked on her for a long time afterwards. Me too. Trina tried to protect Tori from the bullies, but it happened so close to when Trina got accepted into the athletic program at Hollywood Arts, so Tori suffered through here until she got to go there."

Courtney cleared her throat and looked up into Jade's eyes. "So the last thing I remember was Tori telling Trina that in order to 'be forgiven' she was going to have to walk a mile in _her_ shoes. She had to be the embarrassment, she had to act a certain way towards people around Tori, and if anyone picked on her, she had to take it."

Jade fell into her chair and threw her hands to her face, groaning into them. This was mind-boggling. "What could _possibly_ be bad enough to warrant that?" Courtney bounced her head from left to right and closed her hands tight. "Do you know Tori doesn't like men?"

"Yes, but that's getting off subject…"

"Not really. Tori can't stand men." Jade crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes as a silent signal for the girl to stop beating around the bush and to get to the point. "Danny cheated on her, then there was the whole ordeal Trina went through with a couple of the guys she dated. Tori just doesn't trust men. So she tried dating girls." Her eyes widened and her heart pulsed then stopped. "She likes girls. She and I dated."

"So she's a lesbian?" That was something Jade never picked up on. She usually could, even though she was _straight_ and dating Beck, but she had no problem with the girl being lesbian.

Courtney leaned herself back and nodded. "Yeah. Trina wanted Tori to be brave and to come out, to admit it and see that it was okay. Trina wanted her to see people could be accepting of that, and the modern world should be used to it."

She inhaled slow and shut her eyes. "That didn't happen." Her hands slid down her legs and her lips pressed together. "The exact opposite happened."

"Right. Tori was furious-I've never seen her so angry. I tried telling her Trina only meant well, that she was trying to help her be more confident and less afraid, but she's just too angry."

"She's definitely not forthcoming about that choice of lifestyle." It was a great help to know this about Tori now, seeing how this was at least one deep cause for Tori's slandering her sister to people. "So…" She spoke softly and with extra care. "How did you pass?"

"Chem-lab accident."

"Oh. Why haven't you crossed?"

"Unfinished work." Courtney shrugged and looked over her shoulder. "I…I want Tori to know it's okay to be herself. What we had was wonderful and she shouldn't be afraid of that, and she shouldn't blame her sister for what happened. Trina had no way of knowing…I know she cares about Trina, I know she loves her sister just as deeply as Trina does, but what she's doing now?"

Courtney glanced back and closed her hands up. "What she doesn't realize. She's destroying herself, destroying her sister, destroying that relationship they have." Jade's heart jumped up and she cupped her hand over her mouth.

"Oh god, that's it."

"What?"

"That's the thing with Tori. Death's 'path of destruction'." Courtney's expression changed quickly to that of concern and she leaned forward, opening her eyes wide.

"What do you mean? Is Tori okay?"

"She'll be fine. I just-I have to think of something." Jade stood up and grabbed the girl's hand, smiling wide at her. "Thank you though. You've been a tremendous help."

She needed to get Tori to be rid of that grudge somehow, but at the very least, knowing where the problem stemmed from was. She wasn't going to forget about Courtney, not now. Certainly the girl might be of help down the road. Like Katie, she wasn't going to cross until one of the Vega clan got over their main issue.

While she was still learning and certain she hadn't figured everything out about Tori yet, she was feeling more confident now than before.

* * *

So we've learned a great deal about both sisters. Wouldn't you say Jade backtracking to a place of their past certainly helped. Too bad about Courtney though. What are your thoughts on the things in this chapter? Jade's learning a lot What can be done, though?


	8. Beck's Aid

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 8 (Beck's Aid)

 _"Karma suggests if you do something bad, something bad will happen to you."-Evil Twins: Ali Brothers._

In research, Jade learned everything Courtney spoke of happened through the year before Tori wound up at Hollywood Arts. She entered Hollywood Arts when she was nearly fifteen, and now she was almost eighteen. Her grudge had been going on for three years now, or at least the image Trina was made to keep up had been done in such a way that she couldn't back out now.

There had to be a point where Trina would come to the end of her rope, and Jade hoped that wasn't anytime sooner than she could help. She had a bad feeling that the road Tori was on was going to end badly.

It seemed Death himself was a firm believer in a karmic universe, and she was beginning to see things the same way. If karma existed in the universe, her mother paid the price for her abuse, she herself was undergoing some strange karmic test because of her years of bullying, and now Tori was so angry at her sister that she didn't realize she was the one in the wrong. Trina was suffering because of Tori's misguided traumatized anger, and that was only going to end up horribly wrong as far as Jade could see.

In effect, Tori herself had become the ultimate bully, singlehandedly turning an entire school and nearly an entire community against her own sister. Jade raised her head, lifting her stunned eyes to the sky. "A karmic universe doesn't seem to look kindly on bullies. Evidently." If she didn't feel it before, she did now: She had to save Tori from herself, she had to help Trina find her own stability as well. The same was said for David and Holly, whatever they were struggling with.

At the same time, she felt something for both Katie and Courtney. She _wanted_ to help them. The feeling in her gut was telling her not to ignore them, and she couldn't in good conscience do that.

Jade closed her hands and stepped forward, walking down a sidewalk path bordered by clean cut grass. "I don't know if there exists God or Satan, Heaven or Hell, but I know Death exists and I believe in the universal concept of karma…" She stopped for a moment, contemplating the words coming from her lips. Her eyes rolled and her hands clenched tight. "Just great. I've become a philosopher."

In the distance was a cemetery where she saw a number of ghosts walking aimlessly about the place. A familiar person was walking amongst them, clutching his denim jacket and shaking like someone having a seizure. His hair was frazzled and dirty, and his eyes had large sacks under them.

"Oh god!" Jade's heart jumped and she threw her hands over her lips. "Beck." The man dropped to his knees after leaving the cemetery, grabbing his hair with his hands and screaming aloud that he was going insane.

"I see dead people," Beck whimpered, "I see dead people everywhere." She couldn't sit by and hide anymore, but she had no idea how to console him.

As she made her approach, it didn't pass her mind that he would be seeing the ghost of his comatose girlfriend. "I'm sorry about this," she whispered. She could at least shock him back to reality-or scare him to the point of him becoming a ghost like her.

She walked up to him, noting he still wasn't seeing her. "Beck? Beck, it's me." Beck's trembling stopped and his body turned statuesque as his wide eyes staring straight ahead. Slowly his gaze moved to her, and his violent trembling started coming back.

"Jade?" She smiled sadly and moved her arms down in front of her, grabbing her left wrist with her right hand and bowing her head. Beck laughed once, his tone changing to that of joy. "You're okay?"

He jumped up and leapt for her, but she remained in place and shut her eyes. Tears escaped from them as he sailed through her body. His gasp echoed into the air and he hugged himself as if he'd just been shot. Beck turned his head over his shoulder and began whimpering.

"No, it can't be." No sooner than he realized she was a ghost, did he drop to his knees. His hands clutched tufts of his hair, sliding down over his eyes as a ghastly cry ripped through the sky. "No, no, no. God no." He dropped his head to the ground, screaming still at the top of his lungs.

Jade lifted her eyes off him and saw Death appear a few feet behind him. Her lips sank into a frown as the dark angel crossed his arms. "Talk to him," he mouthed.

Sensing an urgency in the air after his statement, she nodded and knelt beside Beck. She didn't know if Death was there for her or there to tell her Beck was about to go off the deep end if she didn't say something. "Beck. Beck, it's okay."

"No. You're not dead. You can't be dead." He began to hyperventilate and rock back and forth. "Why can I see dead people? Why am I seeing you? You can't be-you're in the coma. But if you're in a coma and you're here, then-" His eyes shot open and his breath hitched. After several seconds his voice fell and his body appeared to collapse in place. "Oh god."

"No. I'm not dead. Not exactly." His nose was running with his tears and his lips were trembling. It was the worst she'd seen him, and it hurt to see Beck this way. She reached out to him, placing a hand on his cheek while gazing into his eyes. "Oh Beck…listen…"

He touched his hand to his cheek, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "If you're not dead, then what's going on? Why also am I seeing ghosts? At the hospital, there were some at the school, and here at the cemetery. What's happening to me?"

"It's part of that accident we were in."

Death approached from behind, speaking with his usual calm and deep voice. "You almost died twice, and as a result you did enter the realm of the supernatural." Beck flinched and turned his head. Fear filled his eyes and his brow furrowed. "Therefore you are able to see spirits. Ghosts."

"Is it a curse? Who are you?"

"It is what you make of it." Death shrugged. Jade was grateful for his presence, because he appeared to be there to help explain the situation. She wouldn't be able to do that on her own, and Beck was less likely to freak out and question everything. "It could be a curse or it could be a blessing. As for who I am, I am the Grim Reaper." Beck's breathing hitched once more and Death rolled his head to the right. "Also known as Death. I'm not here for you, I am merely supervising your girlfriend as she works an assignment for me. One that you will be able to aid her with using your 'gift'."

"Gift? How is seeing ghosts a gift?"

"It is a gift from the supernatural." Death smirked and put his hand onto his chest. "A gift from me. I touched you, but the doctors saved you." Jade tensed as the shock coursed through her.

She didn't know Beck came that close; to the point Death had actually touched his soul. "H-How am I supposed to help her? What am I supposed to do." Beck looked at Jade, she could see he wanted to hold her, to touch her. She remained still, with her heart breaking for him to see her like this. "Am I going to lose you, Jade?" She closed her eyes and breathed out slow.

Death shrugged and folded his arms. "If she does everything right, then no, she'll be returned to her body." Beck's eyes lit up and he started to smile. Death raised up his head and looked from left to right. "Now stand up and clean yourself off, you look pathetic."

She almost hit Death for that, but resisted the compulsion. Beck pulled himself up and wiped his face with the sleeves of his jacket. "You should consider your environment too," Death advised, "All things considered, nobody else can see ghosts. Which means, if anyone sees you right now, they'll notice you having a conversation with nothing."

"That would be bad."

"Yes. If people didn't think you were insane before, they certainly will when they see you speaking to someone that isn't there." Beck turned his head, looking back at the cemetery. His body shifted nervously and Jade followed his gaze, noticing for the first time every ghost's awkward and frightened stares. Death smiled and waved at them. "Don't you two worry, they're watching me."

"Isn't your job to send them wherever?"

"It is, smart guy, but those are the ones that don't want to cross or can't because they have unfinished work. For now, it is best the two of you ignore them and focus on the task at hand."

"Which is?" Beck raised an eyebrow and looked back at Death.

Jade huffed and walked forward. She wanted to speak up, and felt Death's bluntness was too much, even though it did help to get Beck focusing for a change. "I've been assigned to the Vega family." Beck snapped his head back at her. His eyebrows rose high and his jaw fell open. "Yeah…they're in trouble."

"I don't understand. You're assigned to help them? With what?"

"I have to save them. They're basically imploding, the whole lot of them." She was amazed he wasn't questioning her concern for them. He wouldn't be in the wrong to do so. "I know I've made a lot of mistakes and I'm trying to fix that, but there are some real problems with that family, so I want to help them. I don't know how right now, but I'll think of some way. You being here will really be good for me…for support and for help."

"I'll do anything." He smiled and wiped his eyes. "Whatever it takes." Jade nodded and started to reach for his hand, stopping when she knew it would be fruitless.

"This has to be done for them, okay? I know you've looked after them." He moved his eyebrows together and bowed his head, clearly not expecting that she already knew. "I heard you when you were talking the other day. I know what happened to Trina, and I know you were the one that saved her."

"Okay."

"You did a good thing. You know that, right?"

He nodded and curled his lips upward. "I would do it again too, Jade. I never told you about it out of respect for her, and part of me didn't want you to start worrying if it meant something else."

"No." She knew what he was referring to, and he was right to be afraid of it. "I know I've been paranoid before, and I let that get out of hand. I'm _trying_ to work on that." She paused, gazing in awe of him. "You're a good person deep down, Beck, and that's what's drawn me to you. I love you."

"I love you too."

Death rolled his eyes and looked down at his wristwatch. "Great. Now all we need is Whoopi Goldberg and we're all set." Death smirked as the two teens shot him a long glare.

"Right…" Jade turned away from him. "Beck." Her eyelids swelled with tears and she gasped softly. "You've always been a stabilizer for me, you're the one who has brought me back to earth when I've gone crazy. You have your flaws, but you've been the best thing for me." Beck nodded and let his tears slide down his face. "Everyone should have someone like that for them, you know."

"Yeah. Jade, if I've ever done something to hurt you, anything I've ever done wrong…I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I know you care about me." She cast a tiny smile and looked off to the right. "I was there when Trina confronted you, to make sure she knew where you stood."

"I meant everything I said then."

"I know." She cleared her throat and hugged herself. "Anyway. About Trina. You know that guy teaching her martial arts class?"

"Jason? Yeah, he's a good guy."

"He likes her." Beck's eyes shot up and a chuckle escaped his lips. "She likes him too, but they don't seem to be wanting to make that step." Beck walked towards a bench and sat down on it. He curled his hand under his chin and nodded gingerly.

"She's been hurt before, so it's not hard to know she's afraid of taking that step with anyone. I don't know much about Jason, but I do know what I've heard from Mr. Sikowitz, and it sounds like he has only gone down the dating road once or twice and it ended badly for him…I think Jason really hasn't been looking or even interested in anyone since."

"You don't know much about what happened to him?"

"No."

"Can you talk to him? Find out?"

"Maybe." Beck dropped his hand to his knee and leaned against the back of the bench. "He doesn't know me, of course. I barely even know him." Beck raised a curious eyebrow and twisted towards her. "Are you trying to play matchmaker or something, here?"

"I just think Trina needs someone in her life like him. A stabilizer. She's had it rough." From what she could remember, Jason was recruiting for his class, so that was one way Beck could get close to the guy to 'know' him. "Jason was looking for students in his class." Beck raised an eyebrow and she moved her hand a bit. "Join it and get to know the guy that way."

"You want me to join a martial arts class? I don't know the first thing..."

"That's why you go to the class, Beck. To learn. Plus, Trina knows you and she might actually respond well to your presence." He nodded understandably and took a deep breath. Jade crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes as she recalled what she learned regarding the past of the Vega sisters. "There's some other stuff you don't know either. I should get you up to speed, but whatever we discuss has got to stay between the two of us…okay?"

"Yes. I understand."

"We'll start with the fact that Trina clearly isn't the diva she makes herself out to be." His expression didn't change, which was a surprise. Jade had to think on that for a second before she figured Beck would already be aware of this. "You've met her before, so you probably already know that."

"Yeah, I've always known she was putting on a show. I never asked about it because she seemed to want to keep to herself, but I've always known." He rolled his head to the right and glanced to the sky. "If I'm completely honest, it's the reason for some of the antics I've done with her."

"Oh? Like the puppet thing?" She smirked and took pleasure in watching Beck cringe. "Yeah, I know about that."

"Right. I wanted to see if I couldn't get her to be herself. She was herself the other day when it was just the two girls and myself."

"She knows you, she knows you wouldn't believe her act. Andre, Robbie and the others don't know her. The whole act is because of Tori, basically. Tori's making her act like a drama queen so she'll be bullied." His eyes opened wide and he jumped up from the bench.

"What?" His voice echoed and Jade flinched. "What are you talking about? Why would Tori do that to her sister? They love each other, they wouldn't hurt each other."

"Not willingly, but Tori's doing it out of misguided anger. Something happened with them back at Sherwood, something Tori hasn't been able to get over. Trina did something with good intentions at heart, but it backfired horribly and now Trina's willing to do whatever she can to make it up to her little sister…and that means putting on a show and making everybody hate her."

"What could possibly be bad enough to warrant that?"

"Bullying." She waved her hand through the air, gesturing for him to follow her as she walked down the street. "Let's talk. I'll fill you in on as much of what I know as I can." If he was to help her properly, he needed to know _everything_ that she learned.

That meant he needed to know about Tori's orientation, and about Trina's stalker ex-boyfriend. He needed to know that Gary was the birth father of the two girls, and David was distancing himself from them because of the loss of his own child. He also needed to know what was going on with Holly.

Now that he appeared to be calmer than he was before, she felt this was an opportune time to bring him up to speed. Some of it was going to be hard for him to hear, but he needed to hear it.

* * *

What do you think of everything? Let me know your thoughts and observations


	9. Tensions

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 9 (Tensions)

"Have you observed the parents yet, Jade?" They were lounging about his RV, finally away from anywhere that people could see Beck talking to the air. He was on the couch and Jade was standing up behind him.

"Not yet." She'd been busy trying to observe and learn all she could about the girls, so she hadn't gotten around to David or Holly. The Vega parents didn't seem too difficult to understand. "Their problems seem fairly basic, or at least, Mr. Vega is the only one that seems to have an issue." Beck turned his head and raised a hand.

"Ah but there's where you're wrong."

"I'm listening." She had no desire to argue since she understood he may know some things she didn't. "All I know at this point is that Mrs. Vega doesn't appear to like Tori's friends much and Mr. Vega avoids and ignores his family because he hasn't gotten over Katie's death."

"Right, but there's more to it than that." He pushed his hands behind his head and leaned back. His eyes turned towards the ceiling and his chest started to expand. "I remember when I took Trina to the ER, it was right around the corner, her mom was ballistic. She did the best to save her daughter, but she wanted to hunt Ross down and kill him."

Jade enlarged her eyes and stared down in stunned silence. "Did she actually say-"

"Yes. I remember asking Trina about it, she said her mom had severe anger issues and some skeletons in the closet." This was important to know, especially as she remembered Death's list. One or more of the Vegas were on it, and she had to prevent that. "Don't forget to keep watch on Mr. Vega either. Neglect and avoidance doesn't mean much."

"What do you mean?"

"It sounds like Mrs. Vega may or may not be thinking of hooking back up with Officer Malone. If that does, do you think Mr. Vega will take it well?"

"Probably not." David never appeared to be a jealous person, but again it was one of those situations she wouldn't know unless she saw him. Jade had been an avid watcher of programs and networks like the ID channel where they showed murder investigations and so forth, so she knew the situation with Holly and the two men could easily lead someone in David's position down a dark and deadly path.

She straightened her posture and walked around the couch. "Do you think I should observe them now?" Her wrists locked behind her back and her eyes drifted to Beck. He was rubbing his chin and studying the clock on his wall.

"Yeah." An exhale blew from his lips. "I'm going to that martial arts class soon. So you can be there for a bit and see what happens if you'd like, but for the remainder of the day, it would be better to observe the parents."

"Okay." She had her plan for the day. Jade wanted to see how well Beck was received at the class, even though she didn't think Trina would have a problem with his being there. After that, she would take off and check out Mr. and Mrs. Vega.

They reached the martial arts class within the hour, and nobody bat an eye when Beck entered the room wearing a loose t-shirt and jeans. Students continued to practice their sparring as Jason walked like a military commander through them.

He stopped in the center of the room, his head held high and his broadened shoulders appeared to tower above the others. Jade could almost feel Jason's sharp gaze cutting through her and Beck.

Jason curled his lips back and stepped forward. "Beck Oliver, good to see you made it to class." Beck smiled back and shook the man's hand. "Trina's talked a little about you." Jade glanced to the right and saw Trina hop away from the person she was sparring against.

The girl turned partially while grabbing her towel from the ground beside her. She wiped the sweat from her neck and approached the men. "Good to see you," she said to Beck. Beck waved and retained his smile. "I'm surprised to see you're interested in martial arts."

"I thought it would be nice to learn a new skill." Beck crossed his arms and watched the students sparring nearby. "I have to admit, I'm not very athletically coordinated." Trina smirked and curled a finger just beneath the tip of her nose.

"Come on Beck. Those moves you make on stage during those song and dance numbers…you'll pick up what you learn here fairly well, I think."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He turned back to Jason and, for a split second, he appeared to shrink before him. "Um, I don't have a uniform or anything." Jason raised a hand and closed his eyes.

"That's fine. Just tell me what size you are and I will order it. The business office deals with all." Jason's friend, Travis, walked to the group. His closed hands swung at his sides and the man seemed to mimic Jason's strong stance and posture. His eyes seemed to judge Beck the longer they stayed on him.

"Hey is this one of those people Trina's been talking about picking on her?" Jade cringed as she watched her boyfriend tense. She couldn't defend him, and only hoped Beck could handle himself here. "You two are okay with his being here?"

Jason's arms crossed over his tight chest and he slowly turned his head towards Trina. Jade crossed her fingers, praying in silence Beck wouldn't be thrown out. "I don't kick out anyone genuinely interested in taking classes," Jason replied firmly, "but you have a point, Travis. Are you okay with Beck, Trina? I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable."

Beck grinned hopefully and his eyelids fell partially as he studied the tall man before him. Jade could almost see the gears spinning in his head.

"It is nice he's giving her a say," Jade whispered, "He respects her and her opinion. That's important, she needs a man like that in her life."

"Yeah," Beck replied. Jade smacked her forehead as Jason, Travis and Trina perked and looked at him curiously. He was quick on his feet, however, and responded to them with a polite smile. "I mean they're looking out for you Trina. They're right, I don't want to be here if that makes you uncomfortable."

"It doesn't." Trina slung her towel over her shoulders and pulled the tips down past her neck and towards her breast. "If you're really eager to come here and learn, then that's your choice. I won't make them turn you away just because of people you associate with."

"Even though I may be an enabler?"

"Yes Beck." She narrowed her eyes and shrugged. "This is Jason's class, and Travis's family owns the dojo. I'm not in any position to turn you away even if I wanted to. Travis's family also runs a boxing studio if you'd rather be there."

"I train kickboxing," Travis said with a proud grin. "Jason's more mixed martial arts."

"Thank you for that offer, but I do want to be here." Beck nodded and looked up to Jason. "Trina seems to be okay with me being here."

Trina closed her eyes and dropped her hands to her abdomen, folding her forearms together there. "Beck's fine in my book. Really he's just been looking out for my family the past few years." Jade furrowed her brow and her breath hitched, then lumped in her throat. "I mean hell that's the main reason he was so adamant about being my little sister's friend when she got to a new school."

She was shocked, but not surprised. Beck still seemed to be led by guilt in every instance, even his helping her out now seemed to be a mixture of both love for her and guilt over the accident.

"Alright." Jason turned partially and motioned to Travis. "You guide the class for a bit, and I'll take Beck into the office to walk him through the paperwork." Beck frowned and Jason's eyebrows bounced up. "You did expect there'd be paperwork, right?"

"Yeah of course," Beck stammered. Trina chuckled and shook her head. Jason pat Beck's back and began pushing him to the office.

This would likely be a boring day for Beck, so there wasn't much else for Jade to watch. Paperwork would likely consist of waivers, emergency contacts, orders for the uniforms and then payments. He wasn't going to get a chance to actually practice until the next day.

Her next stop was the backseat of an unmarked squad car. She adjusted herself in the chair and glanced out the window with a mild laugh. "Wow, I'm actually in the back of a cop car without being arrested? Sweet."

It wasn't a patrol car though, it was just a simple black car reserved for detectives.

David and Gary were in the front of the car, with David driving. Jade looked in the rearview mirror to see the tense and aggravated expression on his face. She did a double take and looked at Gary.

Gary was seated in the corner where the seat touched close to the door, his chin and jaw were pointed up while his narrow eyes peered down his nose as though judging David. "I look after them enough," David muttered, "I don't need your lecture."

"Those girls need a father figure. Holly's said that more than enough." Gary's voice was deep and rough, as though each word he spoke was a knife meant to jab into the recipient. "Where were you the other night when that boy broke into your house?"

"You know I had to cover that robbery and the victims."

"Those victims had been transported to the hospital by the end of the hour." Gary's forehead wrinkled and creased as his voice started to rise. "You could very well have gone home. Trina needed support. You could have been covering her murder, and that would have been worse."

Jade agreed with Gary. Holly managed to get over quick when Gary called her up. David never went home, instead he was at a bar getting sloshed over the number of deaths he encountered as a result of the robbery.

"It's none of your business, Gary."

"None of my-" Gary clenched his fists and began to shake with anger. Jade started to cover her ears, expecting him to explode like a volcano. "Those are my children." David rolled his eyes and nearly ran a red light. Everyone in the car jerked forward as he slammed the brakes.

"Exactly. I'm their stepdad."

"That doesn't mean you can't be their father. That doesn't mean you're not responsible." Jade swallowed air and felt a nervous streak shooting down her spine. David seemed frightening at the moment, and reckless in his anger. If he didn't get a hold on the reins, someone was going to get hurt.

"You're careless," Gary said with a tone so low that it sent chills through Jade's body. "You're going to hurt someone if not yourself, and you're going to drag your entire family down with you if you're not careful. I do not want to see them hurt because of your carelessness."

"You lost the right to over-worry when you and Holly divorced." Jade's eyes widened and Gary jerked his head back. David's glare was focused on the light outside and he appeared to not realize what had come out of his mouth. "I mean, you're sitting here threatening to take my family away. You don't get that right."

"I'm not threatening." Gary raised his hands to his chest and responded with a deep growl. "I'm telling you to man up or I _will_ step in. Holly and I already have discussed what should happen if you don't step up to the plate."

"What right do you even-"

"I am their father." Gary smacked the cubby between the seats and snapped at David. "I am invested in the lives of my daughters even if you're not, and if you don't start showing that you give a damn about them, then Holly is ready to divorce you." Jade cupped her hands over her mouth and felt the car jerk as David slammed his foot on the break.

The sound of tires screeching on the pavement echoed into the air until the vehicle came to a stop at the side of the road. David gnashed his teeth and poked a finger in the air. "I may not act like it, but I care about my family." Jade could see the veins bulging in his hand and in his neck, and for a minute she was terrified David was going to snap. "Nobody gets to take them away from me, Gary. If you want to fight, then we'll fight."

Gary leaned towards David, glaring into his eyes with a challenging glare himself. "Think long and hard before threatening a former Seal, Dave."

"I don't care."

"If you care, then why do you ignore them? Why did I hear stories from my daughters and my wife where you would tell them to 'go far away' when they left home?" Her eyes travelled to Gary and her body began to shake as David leaned away from the man. Gary was no longer yelling, but rather his tone had grown to the deepest point that Jade heard yet. "Or that time you offered a foreign country to keep Trina there while sending Tori and her friends here? If you think puffing yourself up and acting tough is going to stop me from stepping in where I should have a _long ass time ago_ , then think again."

David turned back around and put his hands on the steering wheel. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily, dropping his shoulders and body in the process. "Man the hell up, Dave. Take initiative and take care of your family, or I will."

Jade wanted to pop out of the vehicle and observe Holly, but seeing how she jumped into the middle of an argument, she was afraid to leave these two men alone lest they come to blows.

David started the car back up and calmly reentered traffic, and Gary fell quiet. The radio station cut through the silence like nothing ever happened.

She felt a sharp sensation in her gut, then grew nauseous as she involuntarily faded from the car. When she rematerialized, she found herself standing beside Death in another area. "What happened?" She asked abruptly. "I wasn't ready to leave them!"

"I know, but I figured you would rather be here." He pointed across the room and Jade spotted Robbie seated in a hospital chair. She raised an eyebrow and watched Holly walk across the room with a syringe in her hand. "Your friend is here to get a shot, but ask yourself, why would the head nurse of a major hospital be giving a routine flu shot to someone right now when she should be checking on patience at the ER?"

"I…don't know?" She moved towards Holly and focused on the syringe. When she saw a strange cloudy substance inside, her heart stopped and a sharp pang struck her. "That's not medicine. What's she doing?"

Death crossed his arms and leaned his head to the right. "Turns out she caught Robbie hiding outside the house again. This, so soon after Mitchell tried to break in to sexually assault and murder her daughter. Tensions are high here."

"She can't. She'll lose her career, she'll tear her entire family apart if she kills someone!"

"Pretty much. She's not thinking rationally, her rage is driving her."

"I don't like needles," Robbie said weakly as Holly started to tap the syringe. "I freak out."

"Don't worry, Robert. This won't hurt too much." Jade held back a scream and twisted around to Death, pointing her arm and hand at Holly.

"What's in that syringe?"

Death closed his eyes and raised his shoulders. "A slow acting poison that isn't traceable." Jade screamed again and ran for Holly, reaching for the syringe. Her hand sailed through Holly's arm and Jade gasped out. "You know her opinion of Tori's friends, this has been something she's thought about before but was never going to act on until now."

"I have to stop her. We have to stop her!" Tears welled up in her eyes and her heart sounded off like a drum. "If she goes down for murder, everything's going to be ruined."

"Yeah." Death crossed his arms and pressed his lips together firmly. "I thought I'd remind you the importance of focusing on the parents as well. In a single instance, David and Holly are the ones that can destroy that entire family."

She saw it now with David's jealousy and greed, or a sense of entitlement, and Holly's rage.

With Beck now on her side, she could at least somewhat control Andre, Robbie and the others by having Beck guide them into more appropriate behaviors and actions towards the family. He could at least attempt to alleviate some of the fears and anger Holly had on them.

"What…what could David do?"

"You may have just witnessed his own rage. You've heard the standard stalker phrase 'if I can't have you no one else will', that applies to more than just stalkers." She was gripped by a great fear at the thought of what that meant.

Gary said Holly was thinking about divorce, and David seemed insistent on not letting anyone take his family away. If she tried to leave him and take the girls, then could he end up killing them out of blind rage and fear of abandonment? Worse yet, could it turn into one of those murder-suicides that she'd seen happen in some cases.

Right now the most important thing was ensuring Holly didn't decide to commit murder herself.

Without thinking, Jade lunged for Holly and winced as her body began to merge with the woman. She felt a sudden pain and a wave of nausea before settling into Holly's body as if it were a suit of armor.

She was enamored with being able to touch an item once more, feeling the texture of the smooth syringe between her fingers.

Holly's soul felt like that of a lioness, roaring with ferocity. Jade felt a great sorrow along with the grief, and could hear Holly's soul shrieking like a constant siren.

As soon as it faded, she heard Robbie's quivering voice. "Mrs. Vega?" Jade smiled pleasantly and raised her eyebrows.

"Yes?"

"You're just standing there…is everything okay?"

Her heartbeat flickered and she glanced nervously at the syringe. "Um." She lowered it and reached for a medical drawer. "I'm sorry, there's something wrong with this syringe, I'm going to need to draw a new one. Give me a moment, okay?" Robbie hugged himself and bowed his head.

"Fine…"

She emptied the syringe into the sink and tossed it into the biohazard box. "Now Robert, I know you've been spying on my daughters." Robbie threw his head back up and his eyes enlarged as Jade drew a new flu vaccine. "I need you to realize that's wrong, and if you keep doing that, I will have to consider police intervention."

Robbie stammered as she approached him. Her lips were spread into a calm smile while her gaze was firm and serious. "I'm sorry." Robbie tapped his fingers together and dropped his gaze. "I know it's wrong, I just…I don't know what's wrong with me."

"As a licensed practitioner, I can offer you some numbers to call for counseling. Anything to help you with that." She knew that was within Holly's job duties, so there was nothing wrong with saying it.

From what she understood about ghost possessions, she knew not only that she didn't have a lot of time, but that everything she did, the possessed person would be knowledgeable of as if they did it themselves. So, Holly should have memory of getting rid of the poison and talking to Robbie about this subject, therefore averting a crisis.

"If I find you spying on my girls again, I will call the police."

"Please don't, I'll try and work on it, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that." Jade gave him the shot as best she could while conversing with him. When it was done, Robbie was surprised and said he didn't even feel it.

While she was inside Holly, she began to receive all of Holly's memories and emotions, and they were much darker than she expected. It was terrifying, but none more than what Jade was discovering about Holly's past.

Long ago, in college, Holly had been arrested on an aggravated assault charge coupled with vigilantism. One of her close friends had sexually abused by their lover. They got off after a lengthy trial, so Holly took matters into her own hands and attacked the person with a knife.

She lucked out and had been given a short term of probation. She became a nurse afterwards and changed her life around it seemed, but for Jade, knowing Holly was capable of this was more terrifying than anything else.

Jade sifted through the rest of the memories and found it hard to breathe when she came across the more recent ones. The nurse that lost her job as a result of Jade's actions, was threatened by Holly that if she ever tried to work in medical again, Holly would go after her.

Worse yet was that Holly did her own investigation on the stage accident that put Trina in the hospital, and she found out that Robbie was behind it.

Jade was then plunged from Holly's body and the woman grabbed her chest while taking a deep and shaky breath. The woman growled as Robbie departed the room, then moved her hand to her forehead and shook her head. "God what is going on with me?" Holly asked under her breath. "What was I just about to do? I can't believe…"

"Not bad," Death whispered. Jade flinched and twisted around, staring with wide eyes at the man. "You just stopped her from killing Robbie, but keep an eye on her." He crossed his arms and tilted his head. "I have a feeling you just found some crucial information out?"

"Yeah…yeah I did…"

"Good. Keep an eye on those parents. Consider which member of the family would be the most likely to cause death in the family." Jade breathed out and watched him fade away once more.

This was far more serious than she realized, but now she knew the gravity of things. "Yeah." She furrowed her brow at Holly and felt her knees beginning to buckle. "Let me just make sure Beck gets the others to back up a bit. Holly's got too much stress and anger for them to do anything else wrong."

It could be a test too. Her assignment wasn't to protect or save anyone outside of the Vega family. It could almost be assumed she would only help the Vega clan if it meant giving herself another chance at life, but in truth, she cared little about that now. She knew what was right, and she wanted to do the right thing.

* * *

Wow, so what are your thoughts here? It came dangerously close just then. Thoughts and observations? What do you predict for the future?


	10. Beck's Plan

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 10 (Beck's Plan)

Jade paced the living room floor while Beck sat quietly on the Vega couch, waiting for Tori to come downstairs with her sister. Tori had invited him to play a routine game of poker, but he had another plan of action to take. "It's been a week," Beck said while rolling his head upright. "I think I'm doing a good job getting to know Jason and Trina thanks to that class."

"Good." She stopped on the center of the rug and turned towards Beck. Her hands moved to her waist and she started to smile. He was already on the verge of being friends with Trina, so that likely made it easier for him to talk to Jason. "What's your plan involving them right now?"

"I've asked that Jason and Travis come to play poker with Trina and myself. Tori can play if she likes." Jade tapped her chin gently and leaned back her head. She was curious to see how that might pan out. "I think it'll be good to get a real conversation flowing between them."

"You're saying they don't talk often?"

"They talk." Beck shrugged and lowered his hand. "But it's really in increments of a few minutes here and there." She moved to the couch, sitting beside him. He looked to her with a sad smile and lingering eyes. "What about you? How have you been?"

"I've been okay." She'd been practicing some of her powers more, and while they weren't perfected, she was getting better. "I'm getting to where I can move physical objects at will and controlling my emotions so I don't end up killing somebody."

"Good. I've talked to Andre and the others about working on their behavior. They don't understand so much, but I'm trying." She reached for him and pat his left leg gently. His eyes drifted towards her hand and he tried to place his hand over hers, sighing when it sailed through. "I…I'm also being the one keeping Robbie accountable. Getting him to that counselor Mrs. Vega gave him."

"Great." The last thing they needed was Holly killing one of Tori's friends because they did something stupid. "You told them to take a break from Tori or something?"

"Something like that." He crossed his arms and turned his head towards the stairs, studying them for a moment. Jade followed his watchful gaze and leaned away. "I told them they need to not believe everything Tori tells them, and that they needed to take a step back and take a closer look at themselves before judging the Vega family. If that means taking a break from Tori, then that's what they'll have to do."

"How'd they take it?"

"Not as bad as I thought, but not as well as I hoped." He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. "I couldn't explain things exactly, so they were concerned with how I knew anything I was talking about, but they'll listen to me."

Jade was aware that he hadn't told them everything they knew, so the group likely knew very little about all the problems going on with the family. They'd learned so much of what they thought was right from Tori, but never saw the family when Tori wasn't around. They needed that opportunity, because the grudge Tori seemed to hold was casting off too dark of a shadow for them to see clearly.

"Didn't Tori invite them over for poker too?"

"Yeah." Beck dropped his hand with a sigh. "Robbie told me he's staying away from the family for a little bit after his talk with Mrs. Vega, so he turned her down. Cat's busy babysitting with her roommate right now, so she won't be able to come by. Then there's Andre, but I convinced him to take a break too…"

"Okay. They need to see the family for who they are, but right now, this family isn't in the right state for them to see." Granted the friends could be there to help the family in troubled times, but they would first have to help themselves and get rid of their blinders. "I think Andre and the others have to be able to filter through the crap before they can be of any help to Tori and this family."

"I agree." Hearing footsteps from behind, Beck stood and turned towards the stairs. The sisters were making their way down the steps slowly, and Trina looked as though she'd just woken up. Her purple nightgown top was on, but she'd thrown a pair of sweats to cover her legs.

"What was so urgent that Tori dragged me out of bed?" Trina asked with a yawn. Tori brushed her hand down her left arm and raised her head up.

"Beck insisted you join us for a card game." Tori smiled openly and raised her eyebrows. "Since the others aren't able to make it, I guess it's better that way." Trina pushed her hand down the handrail and swept her fingers towards the tip of the post.

"I guess I could play a couple hands." Jade could tell she wasn't interested, so she motioned for Beck to keep talking. If nothing else, mentioning Jason would certainly garner interest in the girl.

"I invited some others to come by," Beck said with a smile. Trina looked down at her clothes and dropped her shoulders. "Since starting at the studio, I've been becoming friends with Jason, so I thought I'd invite him over. Travis too." Trina's head shot upright and her eyes opened wide.

"What?" The exhaustion in her voice was quickly drowned by a sense of urgency and panic. "I'm not even dressed or ready. You think someone would mention inviting _him_ here."

Just then, the doorbell chimed. Trina gasped aloud as Beck turned to look at the door. "Stall." Trina charged up the stairs as if her feet were on fire. Jade smirked as Tori shook her head.

"I swear, sometimes…" Tori walked to the door and set her hand gently on the handle. "She's head over heels for the guy, won't admit to it and acts like she doesn't even want a relationship to begin with."

Beck walked towards Tori and crossed his arms. "Given what she's been through, that's not all surprising. You know her better than anyone, Tori. You know she's scared of relationships." He was right. That fear wouldn't stop someone from being attracted to someone or wanting to look nice in front of that person, but it would certainly keep them from making any progress towards relationships.

Tori put on a smile and opened the door. Jason and Travis were staring back at her, positioned very still like two towers shadowing the tiny girl. "Beck said to come here," Travis stated, "So we're here." Beck walked up behind Tori and waved at the two men.

"Hey guys. Trina will be down too soon, so come on in and make yourselves comfortable." Tori rolled her eyes at Beck and repeated what he said, inviting the guys in officially.

Jade studied the men with a widening grin. They looked different out of their _gi_ , if not more attractive without it. Jason was wearing a simple, clean t-shirt that hugged his chest and shoulders. The shirt was tucked neatly into a pair dark blue denim jeans. He wore as well a dark blue denim jacket.

"I'll say." Jade curled a finger over her lip and wagged her eyebrows. "Jason's got a James Dean look going on right now." Beck looked at her for a moment, then shook his head. She teased him with a smirk and crossed her arms. "Well he is hot, but you know where I stand, Beck."

"Yeah," she heard him mutter, "And you used to get paranoid about me."

"I'm working on that." She pulled her hands to her hips and watched Beck guide the men around the couch and towards the piano at the bottom of the stairs. "What are you doing now?"

Beck looked over at Jason and Travis with a smile. "Bet you didn't know they had a piano." The two men crossed their arms and Jason leaned himself against the post of the stairwell. Tori moved towards the table, grabbing the cards off the kitchen counter.

Jade walked up the stairs and caught a glimpse of Trina moving in and out of the bathroom. When she stepped out for the final time, Jade was amazed with how quick she cleaned herself up. Her hair was groomed and pristine, and she wore a purple sweater and knee-length pants.

Trina stepped at the top of the stairwell and took a long, deep breath. Jade heard Beck say something, pointing Trina out. When she glanced back, Jason was gazing up at Trina with arched eyebrows and a pleasant smile on his face.

"Hey Jason." Trina started down the steps, her eyes connected with Jason's and never once left. "They didn't tell me you'd be here, you know."

"We didn't mean to come unexpected." Jason glanced at Beck and chuckled. "It was a last minute invite." Jade saw Beck's eyes moving from Trina and Jason, then he motioned at her. She didn't know what he wanted until she saw him point to Trina's foot.

"What?" She whispered as though the others might hear. Her brow furrowed and she shook her head. "You want me to trip her?" Beck nodded and motioned towards Jason. "He'll catch her? Have you been watching cheesy chick flicks or something lately?"

Beck narrowed his eyes and flattened his mouth into a line. She chuckled nervously and turned her eyes towards Trina's foot. "Okay." She breathed in deep, watching as the girl raised her foot up. "Forgive me for this." Just as Trina brought her foot down, Jade thrust hers outwards, colliding it with Trina's.

Trina's eyes enlarged and she opened her mouth to scream, but the fall happened so quickly that Jade didn't hear it. Jason seemed to fly away from the post, turning and spreading his arms out.

She landed nicely in his arms, throwing her hands onto his shoulders. Jason's foot slid back and his arms wrapped around Trina's waist. "Whoa." Their eyes met and a shade of red spread across their faces. "You have to be more careful. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Trina stammered without moving away from him. "I don't know what happened." She chuckled nervously and cleared her throat. "I'm not usually that clumsy." Jade almost leapt for joy and her eyes lit up with excitement.

"We all have our days." Jason's forehead creased and wrinkled and he gently swept away a strand of hair that fell before Trina's eyes. "You…" Trina steadied her breathing and Jason started to exhale. "You know. Up close, you have gorgeous eyes."

"'Up close'?"

"I mean, they're beautiful. More so up close. Um." The redness in his face increased and Trina started to smile. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Trina curled her fingers over her ear, tucking her hair neatly behind it. "Good catch." She bit her lip and her breathing started to grow shallow. Her hands moved down his arms and brushed against his wrists. "I think you can let go of me now." Her face looked like a tomato at this point, which was a sight that genuinely amused Jade to see.

"Right." Jason cleared his throat and pulled his hands away from Trina. He pat his hands together and turned towards Beck. "So uh, poker was it? Texas Hold-Em perhaps?" Beck grinned from ear to ear and nodded while moving to the table.

"That's the name of the game. Have you played much?"

"Only a little. You all probably have me beat."

Trina moved for the table, placing her hand on Jason's shoulder as she passed him. "Don't be so sure." Her hand swept away from him like a paintbrush, and Jade was certain she left a mark. "I'm not a major poker player either."

"Hey Beck." Jade teleported herself next to him, having learned she could do as such a while back, and smirked when he nearly jumped out of his skin. His hand moved to his chest and he narrowed his eyes, watching the others that were in front of him. "Try and get them talking more."

"That was the intent," he whispered harshly, "Don't do that by the way."

"Sorry." She couldn't help herself. Whenever she learned how to do an ability, she liked to do it as many times as she could. "Did you find anything out about Jason's past?"

"A little. The guy's very private, and I'm little more than an acquaintance." He crossed his arms and continued to peer straight ahead. The others were gathering around the table and hadn't noticed he wasn't near. His voice remained quiet so as not to arouse them. "Travis is his best friend, I take it. They're always talking, and he trusts the guy with some of the more personal details of his life."

"Does he have a bad background?"

"No. Not from anything I've heard." Jade smiled with pleasantry and walked around to Beck's left. Beck's chest and shoulders rose slowly and dropped. "I've been able to overhear them in one conversation. Jason's definitely attracted to Trina, but he's been hurt in the past."

"Like she has?"

"Yeah, sort of. He's had an manipulative ex, and one that tried to abuse him." Beck raised his right hand, motioning in the air towards Jason "So he's given up the idea of dating, but Travis is trying to talk him into giving someone another chance." Jade hummed as Beck took a step forward. "Travis thinks Trina might be the one for Jason that ends well. Either way, they're both scared to death of another relationship. Neither of them are perfect either, so it's a good idea to avoid focusing on their flaws right now."

"So what are you going to do? I mean, how will you get them talking."

"Just watch." He tilted his head from left to right and made his way to the table, flashing a wide grin as he took a seat.

The game was underway and Jade was happy to take advantage of her ghostliness to see the cards everyone had. Beck didn't seem interested in taking advantage of that to cheat, and she didn't want to let him; but it was still fun being able to see what everyone had.

The first game was simple: Tori had a straight, Travis had a flush, Beck had an ace and three while Jason and Trina ended up with two pair. "So." It was Beck's turn to shuffle, so he started the process and looked around at the others. "Trina, how long have you been into sports?"

Tori looked shocked that he asked her sister anything, but only responded by crossing her arms and watching him. Trina picked up the cards dealt to her and shrugged. "Most of my life. Though if you call me a jock, I will hit you."

"She will," Tori said with a laugh. Jade felt a calmness in the air and smiled while walking around the table. "My sister's smart, but she's always been more athletic than book smart." Jade pursed her lips and saw Beck was about to question the statement, only to stop when Trina laughed.

"She's right. Tori's the chemist in the family, it's easier for her to study than it is for me." Jade squinted her eyes and breathed in slow. "Athletic ability is what comes easiest to me. Not all that other stuff."

Beck hummed and shook his head. "I don't know." He set the cards in the center and raised his eyes towards Trina. "You might be a better actress than you think."

"Not even."

He shrugged. "What about you, Jason?" Jason's eyebrow rose and his eyes drifted to Beck. Trina twisted towards him and perched her head on the curve of her wrist "How long have you been into athletic stuff? Has it always been martial arts?"

"I got into martial arts for the same reason Trina did," Jason replied, "Wanted to learn self-defense." Beck nodded once. Jade watched a smile grow on Trina's face and looked to Jason. "I've also been athletic most of my life. Same thing, more athletic than I am book smart."

"You look like it," Trina said. She paused, then straightened herself up while coughing. "I mean athletic. You look like you've lifted weights regularly for a while."

"I have." Jason tightened his biceps, though it looked more of a subconscious move than anything else. "I played a little hockey when I was a kid, and as I got older, some of the kids started to get into weightlifting. I joined them and started exercising on a regular basis since I was probably nine or ten."

A glint of pride shone in Beck's eyes as Trina spoke up in response. Jade was impressed with his ability to get them honed in on a mutual subject. "I was in gymnastics as a young girl, so I've always been exercising regularly. Weightlifting on the other hand, I didn't get involved in until I was in junior high. So, I'd say somewhere around twelve years old."

"That's not a bad age to start." Jason leaned himself back and pat the back of his hand on Travis's arm. "What about you, man? You've been into kickboxing your whole life, haven't you?"

Travis nodded and flashed a toothy grin. "I grew up on shows like Walker Texas Ranger, so I always tried to emulate that." He ran his hand across his neck and laughed. "My parents enrolled me in a kickboxing class as soon as they could."

Beck raised the bet of the poker game and glanced sideways at Tori. Jade caught the glance and swept her hand across her chin, holding it in place as her index finger curled over her upper lip.

"What are you about to do?" She asked. Beck's eyes darted back and he leaned upright in the chair, pulling his shoulders back in the process.

"I saw a couple people arguing over this issue the other day, and I was wondering what you all thought about it." The others focused on him and Tori started reaching for her poker chips. "It's a controversial topic…I was wondering, do you think there's anything wrong with being gay?" Tori's hand froze and her eyes opened wide.

Jade's jaw fell open and she watched the others as they shook their heads. "Of course not," Trina replied with a curt tone. "People shouldn't be afraid to admit to it either."

"That's what I think. It's nobody's decision but themselves, so why should it matter what anyone else says?"

"It shouldn't. I think it's a person's right to do what they wish, and no one else can tell you how to live your life." Jason called the bet. He breathed out and his eyes remained focused on the cards. Trina smiled and gazed at him with a look of admiration.

"I run into this situation a lot teaching at the studio, and my uncle does too. It isn't uncommon, people are afraid of what people might think, but there comes a point of time when you just have to ignore those people and live your life how you decide to."

Travis folded his cards after Beck revealed the river. "You know." The man folded his hands over the cards and frowned. "There's always going to be people who complain. There will always be someone against it. Jason's right, there comes a point in your life when you have to stop letting that affect you-hard as it is."

Tori started to sneer, her gaze sharpened and her voice dropped to a low point. "And how do you just do that? Simply ignore what others say?"

"By knowing that no matter where you go, no matter what you do and who you are, people are guided by human nature. Human nature dictates there will _always_ be someone that gossips, there will _always_ be someone against you, and if you spend your life constantly worrying about what someone else thinks about a decision you've made or who you are, you'll drive yourself insane."

"Maybe even begin pushing people around you away," Trina replied with almost a whisper. Jade flinched and looked as the girl bowed her head and sloped down her shoulders. "You have to be true to yourself and not be afraid of anything, but it is hard. People pick on you, and bullying is something you never get over. Something you get insecure about, and soon people start letting you down, you don't know who to trust anymore. Then, you find yourself struggling just to stay alive."

A hush fell over the room. It was enough that Jade could almost feel the silence rising up to strangle the life from her. Trina's words were cryptic, and knowing what she knew already, she wasn't sure if the last part of her statement wasn't talking about herself.

Tori shut her eyes and cleared her throat. "Moving on," she said finally. "So Jason…do you and Travis have girlfriends, or is Beck the only one here in a relationship?" Jade's interest peaked and Beck did a double take, clearly not expecting Tori to ask the question.

Trina's lips pursed and her eyes drifted towards the man beside her. "I'm not," Jason replied. His hand moved to his chest and is eyebrows closed in the center of his forehead. "I haven't given any thought to dating for a while. I'm not closed to the idea of dating; it just hasn't been at the forefront of my mind."

"I see." Tori motioned for Beck to flip the next card over, then raised her cards towards her face. "Travis? You?"

"I've recently started going out with someone, so yes, I guess I could say I'm not single." Travis flashed a pleasant smile and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. "Her name's Lindsay. She's into the same kind of stuff that I am, and she's tough. I like that about her."

Tori smiled back and Beck turned his eyes to Trina. "What about you?" He asked. Her eyes shot at him and her lips twisted into a scowl. "Any fish in the sea for you, Trina?"

"No," she replied. Jade could almost feel the sharpness in her voice cutting into her like a knife. "Like Jason, I just haven't given it much thought lately. Haven't cared to put myself out there. Not too sure anyone would find me all that appealing."

"Now that I don't believe," Jason said with a chuckle. Trina glanced at him and her scowl turned to a half smile. "Just saying, don't sell yourself short. There's nothing wrong with being single if you want to be, but you seem like a girl that could have her choice of any guy she wants." He smiled back and Trina appeared to puff up for a moment.

"Thanks, I think." Her cheeks reddened and she turned her head away from him. "Surprises me you haven't given any thought to dating though." Trina turned back and flashed a smirk. "A lot of those girls getting recruited into your class that aren't doing any real work are just there because of you."

Jason began snickering. "Yes, I'm aware." He took a quick breath of air and shook his head. "I don't care for people throwing themselves at me. Especially if that means using the class to try and date someone, it's disrespectful. I'd rather see someone genuinely interested in learning something than taking something just because 'it's easy' or they're attracted to the damn teacher."

"I won't lie, you _are_ attractive." Trina brushed her hair back and Jason's cheeks turned a light shade of red. "I guess that means you wouldn't date any of those girls, if you were interested?"

"I wouldn't." He grabbed his poker chips and raised the bet up by fifty. "It's been a long time since any woman has caught my eye."

Travis pat Jason's shoulder and laughed. "No one's been good enough for this man. Maybe he should lower his standards a little, eh?" Jason narrowed his eyes at his best friend. Tori laughed out and glanced at Trina with a smirk.

"No one's been good enough for Trina either," Tori joked. Trina rolled her head to the right and shot Tori a similar glare."

Jade moved to the couch to relax and process everything. She liked Beck's cleverness and how he got everyone talking, so she hoped that could continue. Hopefully he could keep the conversation going, and potentially the group could grow in closeness with one another.

* * *

So we see Beck's a definite asset. What do you think of everything? Do tell, I'd love to hear your thoughts


	11. Checking on the Friends

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 11 (Checking the Friends)

Since there was nothing really happening with the Vega family at this point and Jade didn't feel like she had to watch them twenty-four seven, she opted to check out how her friends were doing. They needed help with their own issues probably, though her main focus was the Vega family.

Beck was doing a good job dealing with them, so it would be unnecessary for her to stray too far from her assignment, but she did want to pop in once in a while just in case.

She popped in on Robbie first before everyone; Beck was driving him to the therapist that Holly recommended to him after the hospital. When she appeared in the car she was surprised to see Beck purposely driving Robbie past the juvenile detention center.

Robbie's anxious gaze focused in on the facility while his right arm tightened around the puppet in his arms. "If you're not careful Robbie, you could end up there." Beck slowed up to a red light and turned his head, studying his trembling passenger.

"I know." Jade could almost feel the sadness coming from Robbie. She was proud of Beck for the firmness in his tone, and the evident appearance of him trying to get things on the right track. "I'm just-they've never called the cops on us before or anything. I mean like when I cut that harness on Trina that time." Robbie froze and Jade started to gasp.

A look of disappointment swept over Beck as he took a deep breath and held it. "That was you?" His heavy breath rolled away from his lips and he shook his head. "That's the problem, I guess Robbie. Stuff like that can't continue to happen. We can't continue to enable the problem."

The light turned green and Beck started up the car, taking off as quick as he could. It was the first time Jade really took notice of it; it was his father's car, not one she'd ever ridden in.

Beck's thumb tapped the steering wheel as his right hand moved over his mouth. "Things have to change, and they will." He slipped his hand down and cleared his throat. "Change starts with us." Robbie flinched and twisted partially in the seat.

"Change for who?"

Jade watched Beck's hands tighten on the wheel as his demeanor grew stern. "Everyone." Her heart flickered and she felt a stroke of pride. It was amazing to see him taking action this way; finally something was being done. "Why do you think I told you guys to step back from Tori for a while?"

"I don't know."

"Because we've been treating that family poorly-whether based on things Tori's said to us or not-we've been bullies for her." She bit her lip and interlocked her fingers while looking down to her lap. The shame was still felt, as was the guilt. "Whether it's picking on her sister or talking shit about her parents, we're all a part of the problem."

"I guess I never really thought about it."

"Of course not, and why would you?" His voice grew deeper and he shook his head gently. "Tori tells everyone one thing, but the truth is a different matter. There's plenty of stuff you guys don't know about that family because you won't dig deeper and take an interest in them."

Robbie perked up, doing a double take and glaring suspiciously at Beck. "What do you mean? You know things about them we don't?" Beck swallowed and nodded once.

"I do have some history with them. Things I won't say, out of respect for them; but yes, I know some things none of you guys do."

"Is Jade aware of this 'history'?" Jade concealed a smirk with her hand and saw Beck roll his eyes.

"Yes." Beck turned the car right onto another road and leaned into the turn. When it settled back onto a straight path, he relaxed and let out a small sigh. "It isn't anything like what you're probably wondering. It's acquaintanceship. I knew Trina from a few years back."

"Oh…How come you never said anything before?" Robbie closed his hands and his brow started to furrow. "Hell, you even participated in some of the bad things being said or done to them."

"It's a number of things, really. Some, I was asked to. Other times, I didn't want to start a fight with Jade; causing her paranoia because I was defending another girl." Robbie nodded with understanding, and Jade heaved forth a heavy sigh. "Then there were times when I did so to get Trina to show her toughness a little. She's tougher than she shows, but never stands up for herself when she should."

Robbie looked up with a fond chuckle. "Yeah, like that time she kicked all our asses when we were helping her with some medication. I never understood how she could be so crazy."

"It's not craziness so much as it was her defense reflex acting up." Beck fell silent and Robbie studied him as though anticipating something more. Instead, the car came to a stop in front of a moderate looking building with steel walls and reflective mirrors. "Here you are Robbie, I hope I don't have to walk you up?"

"No," Robbie stammered, "Thanks for the ride. Third floor. I'll see you in a couple hours if you're picking me up."

"Sure." Robbie exited the car and Beck shook his head slowly. He watched as Robbie disappeared into the building.

Jade understood what Beck meant by referring to Trina's defensive reflexes, and why he didn't say anything more than that. When she'd gotten her wisdom teeth taken out, she would have been at one of the most vulnerable points in her life, and Tori left her alone in a house with three guys, two of whom she didn't care much for and believed didn't like her one bit.

After suffering her near-death beating from Ross; the vulnerability she would have felt and the anxiety of having the men trying to subdue her would have caused a good deal of panic and paranoia.

Having had enough of this conversation, Jade disappeared just before Beck could look in the rearview mirror and see her. She appeared in Andre's home next, watching as he sat lazily on the couch while his grandmother was running about the living room furiously.

"Andre I can't find my cooking pan," the woman shouted at the top of her lungs. "I think someone's broken into our house and stolen it." Jade pursed her lips and looked down at Andre.

His right arm was bent at his elbow and his hand served as a perch for his head. His legs stretched out across the dirty brown couch and were crossed at the ankles. "No," Andre said with a slow sigh, "Your pot's on the stove, Grandma." He rolled his eyes and sniffed. "Can't you smell the smoke?"

"Smoke?" The woman's eyes opened wide and her jaw fell open. "Oh god fire! Andre is our house on fire?"

"No."

"Your mama died in a fire, Andre. I won't let you die in one!"

His hand fell over the edge of the couch and he twisted around partially. "Our house isn't on fire, Grandma." He hopped off and walked to the kitchen. "Lunch on the stove is burning."

Jade could almost feel his exhaustion, and when she looked into his eyes, she could see a flicker of distant sorrow. "I wonder what's going on here?" She knew from long ago that his mother died some time ago, but Andre had never given any details.

She walked up behind him as he removed the burning pot from the stove. Her eyes drifted towards a picture frame hanging on the wall to his left, and a sudden overwhelming sensation struck her.

The photo was a family picture, showing the grandmother standing in the back row behind a man and woman holding three young kids. Andre was the youngest of the three, and appeared just four years old in the photograph.

"Such a happy looking family," Jade whispered. She knew Andre wasn't native to California, that he'd come from somewhere in Louisiana; but as far as she knew, he only came with his grandmother. Even Beck didn't know much about his history.

"Andre, someone's at the door!" Screamed the grandmother. Jade jumped up in shock and spun around, growling at the woman for startling her. "I don't know who it is. Is it a burglar?" Andre washed his hands and dried them with a towel.

"No Grandma." He walked for the door, just as the person knocked again. "Just a second!" He looked over his shoulder, staring at his trembling grandmother with a look of pittance. The woman walked towards a recliner and once she took a seat, Andre opened the door.

Standing behind the door was a young woman that looked to be around Tori's age. She had long brown hair and a warm, friendly look in her eyes. Andre's brow furrowed and he looked the girl up and down, but there was no recognition in his eyes. "May I help you?"

"Yes, I was looking for the Harris family." Jade perked up and started towards the two, but stopped when the girl's eyes darted from Andre to her. Jade began to fill with panic and uncertainty, hoping the girl was just staring through her and not at her.

"I'm Andre Harris, and that's my grandma on the recliner." Andre jerked his thumb back and smiled politely. "Beverly Harris."

"Well we found them," another voice stated. Jade watched the girl turn around, then she saw a younger girl step into view. "We didn't plan much beyond this, did we Taylor?"

"You're the one that wanted to come all this way, Frankie."

"Again." Andre breathed out and pointed towards the kitchen. "Can I help you? I don't mean to sound standoffish, but I have to make sure lunch gets done." It was peculiar not seeing him act flirtatiously in the presence of a pretty girl, but then he seemed too exhausted to care; it was also likely he didn't flirt often in front of his grandmother.

"Um yeah." Taylor cleared her throat and swept a strand of hair over her ear. "It's just…" Andre crossed his arms and leaned to the right, retaining his polite smile despite the weariness in his eyes. "I found something I think belongs to your family."

"Oh?"

"Yeah…" Taylor snapped her fingers and Frankie reached for something. Jade tried to lean to see what it was, but couldn't. Eventually, Frankie pulled into view a large brass trumpet. Andre's eyes lit up and he straightened his posture.

"A trumpet?"

Jade curled her finger over her lip and slanted her eyes. "What could that have to do with his family?" She didn't think there was a reason not to speak, but when she saw the girls' eyes dart over to her, she flinched and fell into silence. They looked at Andre with furrowed brows, clearly confused that he didn't react to her question.

They exchanged knowing glances and shrugged. "We found it in our attic." Taylor laid it flat across her hands and extended it to him. Jade leaned forward, inspecting a light engraving on the side of the instrument.

"To my loving fiancé, may you perform as long as you are able. Denise Harris."

Andre took the instrument, admiring it with a growing smile. "A family used to live in our house. We just moved in there a while back, actually. There are a lot of things in the attic belonging to Ray and Denise Harris-Preston."

"And you tracked us down? I'd ask how you even found us…" He choked up for a second, then cleared his throat. "Ray and Denise. That's my mom and dad." He looked up and glanced over his shoulder. "Would you two like to come in and have lunch?"

Jade grinned from ear to ear and locked her hands together behind her back. She didn't think there was reason to worry too much about him, though she'd keep an eye on him just in case.

Her next stop was Cat's home, and much to her surprise, Tori was there. The girls were sitting on the couch with drinks in their hands. Jade walked up behind the couch and turned to see Cat's roommate walking out the door with a familiar man she recalled seeing once before.

Once the door closed, the conversation the girls seemed to be having continued as Cat set her drinking glass on the table. "Here's the thing Tori. Last week at the sleepover, you and I got to talking…" This gave Jade pause as she pondered what it could be that they got into talking about. "I want to help you out, to be that friend to you, but you have to understand something about me first."

Tori sipped her drink and shrugged. "Okay." Cat leaned back slowly, and her lips vibrated with a gentle hum.

"I'm not the meek and clueless girl I make myself out to be." Jade's jaw dropped open and she started to blink several times at the redhead. "I believe in tough love. You want my advice on something, I'm going to tell you what's on my mind. You may not want to hear it, you may not even agree with it, but I will tell you point blank-I won't pussyfoot because someone doesn't want to be offended."

"Got it."

"You told me last week you were lesbian." Cat shut her eyes and nodded. "Okay. Great. I told you that I am as well." At this point, Jade felt the strain of her ever enlarging eyes-that if they grew any further, they may fall out of their sockets.

Tori pursed her lips and shrugged. "So then, what's the problem? I like to date girls."

"I believe that. I believe you've decided on making the decision to do so. What I don't believe is that you truly know who you're attracted to." Cat craned her neck to the left and ran her hand over it. "Take me for instance. I _know_ I'm attracted to girls. I know that I enjoy the company of women more than I do guys. I believe you decided to start dating girls because you had some bad experiences with boys."

"Yeah. Danny with his cheating, then Trina had two boyfriends that were terrible."

"You said you've only dated one girl, right? How long did that last?"

"Less than a year, maybe. She said she loved me before I was able to feel the same way, but I cared about her very deeply." Tori set down her glass. Her voice was somber and her eyes seemed to dim. "I miss her from time to time."

"There was no negativity in that relationship? Did the two of you fight?"

"Not really."

"Have you ever had sex?"

"No…"

Jade crossed her arms and wrinkled her brow. Cat smacked her lips and swept her hair back over her shoulder. "Okay. Tori. Do you know how incredibly rare it is for someone to decide to become gay thanks to one bad experience with the opposite gender? Most of those people tend to not truly be attracted to the opposite sex either, they just don't like the opposite gender."

"Yeah well-"

"You said to me, you hate men. You don't see them as deserving of respect." Tori glanced away and Cat's sharp eyes bore down upon the girl. "That's the problem. You don't understand they're just human. Women are just human. You don't get that girls are not the perfect gender because you haven't had the experience to see that." Cat waved her hand in a circular motion. "What do you think happens to those girls that decide to become lesbian just because a man treated them badly? They get treated badly by a girl, and now what?"

"I don't want to hear this, Cat."

"You might not want to, but you have to." Jade raised her right hand towards her chin, tapping her fingers onto the line of her jaw. "I've once met a toxic lesbian, a girl who was so pushy with me in demanding sex." Tori raised her eyes towards Cat, and Jade held her breath. "I caved, gave her what she wanted because I thought our relationship would go somewhere. Turns out she left me the next morning, blamed me for problems she had. Played me like a fiddle. When I called her out on it, she said I was weak and passive, and she couldn't be with someone that pathetic."

"It can't be…"

"Last I checked, she had a new girlfriend that she's easily able to manipulate." Tori shook her head slowly and scoffed.

"I-I still don't understand. I thought you had a thing for Robbie." Jade nodded. Everyone was so sure of it, even though neither of the two indicated an interest in the other anymore. Cat turned her head sideways, looking down at her glass.

"A while back, we did go out on a date, but decided to keep it to ourselves. I felt very little attraction to him during that date, so it wasn't going anywhere. We both acknowledged that." Cat lifted her glass up to her lips and tilted her head back as she drank the last little bit. When she finished, she let out a sigh and pulled the glass away. "The same has happened with guys I've dated over the years, but the girls I've dated have always given me more attraction."

"I see. You've never mentioned anything about being lesbian."

"Yes, but my reasoning is different than yours." Cat raised a finger up and squinted. "You'd be surprised to hear, like I agree with some of the things that the gay rights movement wants, for example, but I don't like the activists in the movement."

"What? Why?"

"Because what they don't want isn't real. What they actually want is superiority. Superiority, special treatment, and the right not to be butt-hurt over every little thing they think offends them." Cat shook her head and stood from the couch. "They want attention. That's all. No equality, just attention and superiority."

"Well I don't want that."

"No I know, I was just making a point." Cat pulled her shirt sleeve down her arm, straightening it out. She let out a grunt and rolled her shoulders back. "I don't care about attention, is my point. I don't care what other people think about the life I choose to live. You told me you didn't want friends or family knowing your decision, but you don't care about dating publicly another girl. I disagree. I think you're afraid, and you need to realize that you can't continue to care what other people think about you choosing to live a certain way."

"You're starting to sound like Trina."

"Yeah well, maybe she's onto something then." Jade smirked. The smirk faded when Tori scoffed and waved her hand dismissively. "I am not afraid to put myself out there. If I got offended or was afraid of every person that didn't agree with homosexuality, I'd be in the fucking nuthouse Tori. I don't give a shit what anyone says about my life. That's the problem with people these days, they care so much what other people think that they lose all fucking sense in their heads."

It was impressive the way Cat was talking, or perhaps it was just different to Jade. She'd never seen this side of the usually meek seeming redhead, but maybe that was just an assumption made as a result of Cat's observant demeanor. She never came across as the strong and confident type, but she was also never one to join in the stringent judgments the other friends would make of people.

Tori rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "So backtracking a bit Cat." Cat nodded and Tori shuffled a bit in her seat. "You don't think I'm actually a lesbian because why?"

"Like I said, I believe you've made the choice to date girls. You might be a lesbian, but I don't believe you truly know that yet." Cat snapped her fingers twice and peered down at the girl. "Date around some more. See that girls can be just as bad as men, and sometimes men can be good. Learn to respect both genders equally. Find out which gender you feel an actual physical and or romantic attraction to, and then tell me what you want to be."

"Whatever."

"It takes time, Tori. Believe me." Cat sat down beside Tori and reached over, giving her a gentle pat on the knee. "You can't rush things."

Jade stepped away from the two and smiled with satisfaction. She didn't think she was done with her influence or needing to help Tori; the girl had a long way to go, but in matters of sexual orientation, she felt Cat would be a good friend. Tori needed someone like that who was experienced enough to know and be able to provide some sort of guidance.

She was stubborn though, that much Jade could see. Cat was then right in saying it would take time, but she pondered just how much time was left to her at this point.

* * *

Tell me your thoughts and stick around for the next chapter


	12. The Crossroads

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 12 (The Crossroads)

"I'm getting tired of observing," Jade muttered while shoving her hands into her pocket. She was a girl of action, and right now it felt like she could do nothing but watch. "Give me something. Anything that I can _do_."

She could almost hear Death behind her, telling her to have patience. As a ghost, she was learning well how to manipulate physical objects, and even possessing weak enough living people, but none of this was helpful.

All Jade could do right now was watch and learn, but she did feel that a level of deepness was coming and no longer would she see only the shallow surface. She hoped to find that here at Gary's home.

His home was decorated like a war veteran with medals of honor and valor, to the point Jade found herself entranced by the glittering décor. Gary never seemed all that old to her, but she didn't really know him.

Gary was a former Navy Seal with experience throughout the 90s and 2000s, which explained to Jade why Holly divorced from him. Navy Seals were among legend, but their work was also the most dangerous, so Holly didn't want to live with that stress and divorced from him after Tori was born.

David was a much better prospect to her as a police officer: safer and at home rather than risking his life in a country overseas. Jade didn't think Gary was even in the country when he was served with papers, and the marriage to David was so quick that she felt Holly may have already entered into an affair.

"Regardless." Jade inhaled as she moved into the living room. Her lips curled into a smile as her eyes drifted to Gary and his eldest born child on the couch. "He's a hero, and probably more of one than David." She could see why Holly may want to get back with him; he offered more security at this point.

Jade leaned against a nearby wall and focused on the father and daughter that appeared in the throes of deeper conversation. At least it appeared that Trina was upset about something while Gary was trying to comfort her.

"Nothing I do is good enough," Trina uttered through the silent tears on her reddened face. Jade felt an unsettling feeling and looked away momentarily. It was the first time she'd seen Trina move away from that tough façade she had going on. "Tori's always saying things that make people hate me." Trina wiped her face and waved her hand outward. "Of course, everyone does."

Gary rubbed her back and leaned against the cushions of his brown leather couch. "Why do you let people treat you the way they do?"

She rolled her eyes and hugged her arms. "I pretty much have to, Dad." Gary's brow wrinkled and the corners of his mouth sagged to his chin. "You don't understand. I made a mistake and it affected Tori." Gary remained statuesque and shook his head so slowly that Jade almost missed it.

"It's affecting your health. I love both of you girls, and I understand why you want to do this for your sister, but you don't need to take abuse from anybody." Gary's eyelids slid down partially and an exhale swept away from him. "I've watched for years as you've let students walk over you, been treated poorly by your sister's friends, and ignored by David. You're in a toxic environment that you don't need to be in."

"I don't think anyone cares much." Trina rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand, sniffling and gasping. "David didn't even want me back from Yerba or whatever a year ago. Tori's friends probably would have just happily left me there."

Jade's eyes dropped and her body grew cold. "I wouldn't have," she whispered. Granted she knew this was her reaction formed after what she was already learning; and there was a chance if they all left without Trina back then that she would have gone on and told the girl to find her own way home. "Or maybe Beck wouldn't have allowed us to leave you behind like that."

"People are always saying no one likes me or want me around, and I'm starting to believe it. I'm worthless, even my own sister doesn't want me around." Trina breathed in deep and slammed the back of her head against the couch. "But I would do anything for her. Maybe I shouldn't even care, since no one else does."

"Your mother cares, I care, and I'm sure your sister does even if she doesn't show it." Trina looked up at him with a vague smile. He gave her a warm smile and hugged her. "You're our daughter, we'll always love you. Nothing you do could ever change that."

"I'm trying to be okay. I really am…" Trina cleared her throat and shook her head. "Anyway." She pulled a tissue from the box on the table to her right and wiped her face. "I want to talk about something else…"

"Of course. What's on your mind?"

Trina stretched her arms out and looked off to the right with a tiny smile. "You know how I haven't really given any thought to boys and dating for several years?" Gary's eyebrows shot up and Jade felt her heart leap with excitement. "I think…I think I might like someone, but I'm not sure if I want to pursue anything."

"Well." Gary smirked and shrugged. "You're old enough to decide whether or not to date. Is he a good person?"

"He leads the martial arts class I go to, and he seems nice."

"Does he know your father's a former Navy Seal?" Jade stifled a laugh and smiled brightly. To her, she felt like Gary would be one of those tough dads, but it was nice to see he wasn't overbearing or overprotective. Still, protective nonetheless.

Trina gazed up and let out a thoughtful hum. "I don't think I've managed to talk about that yet, but I think he'd be fascinated. I think you two would get along actually, you both have similar qualities and values."

"Ah, I see. Well maybe I'll be able to meet this kid someday."

"Maybe. I still don't know if anything will come of it." Trina leaned against her father and put her head on his shoulder, sighing heavily. "Do you think Mom and David will actually split up?"

"I don't know. Your mother has been throwing the idea around."

"I'd rather she did and got back together with you, if that were even an option." Gary chuckled and reached around Trina's shoulders, squeezing her once. "I think Mom's a bit afraid of him-leaving him anyway."

It was a good question, and a good fear to have as far as Jade could tell. The man might not do anything, but in desperation of the thought that someone might take his family, he could act out.

"Dave gets a lot of stress from his work." Gary pulled his hand back as Trina straightened herself. "Given our career field, we're always on call and rarely able to enjoy a full day at home." He set his hand down on his knee and looked to the door. "Hence why I'm planning to retire. I want to be able to spend more time with the people I care about." He smiled and a proud gleam shone in his eyes.

"Love you dad."

"You too kiddo."

Jade walked past them, tapping her chin as she pondered over this conversation. She wasn't sure if her assignment was to save the Vega marriage or let it split, but she didn't want to give up hope on David. He didn't seem like a truly bad man, but he may be backed into a corner he couldn't get out of. He was losing his family and he didn't know why or how to prevent it.

"Now." Gary pat his knees and rose from the couch. "About this boy you say you like." Trina blushed with the lightest shade of red. "Are you thinking seriously about it?" She shrugged and turned away.

"I really don't know. Like I keep saying, I really just don't want to risk getting hurt again. Jason doesn't seem like someone that would, but I don't know. I've been trusting in the past."

"Don't let something that happened in the past scare you from giving someone a chance in the future. If you're not ready, you're not ready, but don't close yourself off because you're afraid. Besides-" He breathed in and flashed a tiny smirk. "The next person that harms a hair on your head will learn why you shouldn't mess with the daughter of a former Seal. Screw the 'dad's a cop' line." Trina laughed and moved to hug her father.

It was not long before Gary received a phone call from David to cover a recent investigation and had to leave for work. Trina opted to remain there and wait for him to get back, but Jade figured that was due to Trina's wanting to spend the night at her father's home.

Jade stayed with Trina, continuing to watch over her with a sense of joy that maybe one of the Vega clan could turn their life around. That came only by hoping the girl might decide to focus on her dad and to focus on people like Jason; people that could care for her and be positive influences in her life.

The girl pulled her laptop out and started listening to music, eventually singing along to Kelly Clarkson's _Because of You_. Hearing Trina sing it brought a tear to Jade's eyes. Trina's cheeks were wet with tears, and every now and then a sob would rise to shatter her voice.

Although the girl wasn't an amazing singer, she seemed to do decently when by herself and singing with her own emotions, and that's what struck Jade deep within.

Several songs came and went, each no less emotional than the last and each more curious than the prior. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it didn't seem to matter to her. "We're at a crossroads, Jade." She flinched as a flash of light shone from behind her.

Seeing that Trina didn't react, she knew this light came from either a ghost or a spirit, and the voice was too feminine to be Death. She spun on her heels and seeing the angel from before, every muscle in her body tightened while her heart stopped.

The girl's warm smile invited her to relax, and her gentle eyes called her closer. "Everyone in that family is making decisions to shape their fates, their lives. The members of that family are changing, and while you might not be able to fix them all, you should save what you can…"

"Who are you?" She blurted out the words in a angered tone. The woman closed her eyes and let her shoulders fall. "I know you from somewhere, but I can't pinpoint it."

"Who I am isn't important."

"You say you're the one that convinced Death to give me this chance, so it _is_ important." Jade brought her hands to her chest and her voice started to echo out on the walls. "It's important to me."

"Knowing would shake your focus on what is important." Her hands fell to her hips and she scoffed at the woman.

"If anything it might help." The girl moved her hands in front of her waist, grasping her left wrist firmly.

"You're angry." The woman bowed her head. A glint of fluid fell from the angel's eyes, stunning Jade. "Everything I've ever done has been for you, but you're angry. Events you know nothing about has led you to become who you were, and not the woman you can be."

Jade shook her head and clenched her fists tight. "Don't talk in riddles." Her head throbbed with so much pain that she shut her eyes as though shielding them from the light would help. "Please don't talk in riddles."

"I'm not." The angel turned partially and looked towards Trina. "I was murdered, Jade. I was a ghost, angry and filled with rage, left with unfinished business that once done allowed me to cross over. To save you."

Her heart dropped and she tried in vain to come up with a response. Her lips separated and she watched as the angel slowly raised her arm and pointed to Trina.

"Trina Vega would do anything in the world to protect her little sister. She loves her sister so much that she would take a bullet for her." Jade furrowed her brow and looked towards Trina. A lump swelled in her throat, and her hands began to tremble. "But like I said, we're at crossroads. Trina may leave and never look back, something she never would do. Tori doesn't want to lose her older sister either, but her actions have caused a great resentment to form. By that token, Trina has done herself in as well by allowing people to mistreat her as a form of punishment for the bullying done to her sister at Sherwood."

"That wasn't Trina's fault. If anything, Trina couldn't protect her anymore. She was at Hollywood Arts by then."

"Correct. That's why Trina wanted to bring Tori there, so now she could protect her little sister again and keep her away from the people that were hurting her. She had friends there, people she knew would treat her little sister well."

"Beck…"

"But that changed, and now Katrina is one of the many family members of that family standing with a decision that could affect the once tightly woven threads of her family. She already has made that choice once."

"What has she done?"

"She took pills." Jade's eyes widened as the woman shook her head. "Athletes have trouble with painkillers, they have to use them and can become addicted to them. Trina tried to overdose on them, but survived." The angel took a deep breath and wiped away a stray tear with her finger. "Jade, I would hope you knew your older sister never abandoned you."

She flinched, jerking her head back suddenly. She glared at the angel and started to remark about the abrupt remark. "Don't talk about my sister like you knew her."

Like a barrier being removed, there was a wave of light travelling up the angel's body. Jade began to shake more as noticeable features began to reveal themselves. From the tall white socks and the long brown skirt framing scarred knees.

Her heart throbbed with pain and her eyes started to ache. "N-No." Jade's knees buckled as she saw the dark green tank top and trademark camo jacket that her own sister never left the house with.

Trembling breaths flickered from her lips as her eyes focused on the shirt where she saw a small burnt hole just above the heart. "Know that you have never done anything to cause me to leave you." The angel's hair flicked outwards as though blown by a gust of wind, and strands swept across the girl's face, leaving only her eyes to shine between the strands.

"Jasmine?" She choked and threw her hand to her neck. "No you can't-you can't be gone!" Jade fell to her knees and screamed as loud as she could into the carpet.

Nearby, Trina raised her head and looked around for a moment, then returned to her laptop as though nothing were happening.

Jasmine knelt beside Jade, setting her hand onto her left shoulder. "To my last hour, I fought for you. I wanted to take you to college with me, to take you from our mother. She wouldn't let that happen, she couldn't let go of her desire to keep control."

"She killed you?" A gasp pulled salty tears into her mouth, and another sob shook through her.

"The details aren't as important, but I want you to know that I have always loved you. I have always watched over you, even in death. That is why I still fight for you. I've given you a chance to become who I _know_ you are, someone great. You can't focus on me anymore, you have to change the lives of those family members. You have to want to help improve them. I believe in you, Jade. I know what you're capable of doing…Now it's just up to you to believe in yourself."

Jade could hardly breathe any longer; everything she'd been angry for was for naught. Everything she believed was wrong. "I wasted so much time being angry, hating everything…I wasted so much and I didn't know you were-" She couldn't say it.

When she looked up, Jasmine was beginning to fade. She cried out and reached for her, pleading that she stay. "I can't stay any longer right now," Jasmine said with a warm smile. "I love you Jade, and I'm very proud of you. I believe in you, okay? Even when you don't see me, know that I am always with you…"

As Jasmine vanished, Jade let out a startled whimper and held her arms around her stomach. Death soon appeared in the place of her sister, causing a streak of anger to rush through her veins.

"Damn you!" Death raised an eyebrow as she charged him and dealt a strong punch his direction. Her fist crashed through him, and much to her surprise he was unflinching. "I-I hate you."

He closed his eyes and shrugged with nonchalance. Jade pulled her fist back and tried striking him again, to no avail. She continued this series until her energy was depleted enough that she crashed on the ground and buried her face in her hands.

"I don't decide who lives or dies." Death spoke so soft that it surprised her. She looked up at him, her tears running down her face like waterfalls. "Your sister died trying to save your life, and now she is also trying to save your life-but that is in your hands. The lives of the Vega family is also in your hands…a rare thing that never happens. Members of that family should perish, but you can change things."

"How? When you won't even tell me."

Death's brow furrowed and his eyes drifted left towards Trina. "I don't decide who lives or dies." Jade held her breath, watching as he turned and walked towards the girl.

Jade walked after him, listening somberly to his words. "Doctors save lives, miracles rescue a number of people, and some souls continue fighting for life. I can only be ready and prepare for a death. I can see a death." He folded his arms across his chest and shrugged. "I know what tragedies will happen, but I cannot prevent the tragedy from occurring."

"Can anyone?"

"Usually? No." He took a deep breath and glanced at her. "A tremendous tragedy is slated to befall the entire Vega family. It is one of those things that it would be better for you not to know, as knowing would cause more harm than good."

"You said each family member has something that could fragment the family."

"Yes." He folded his right fingers over the top of his cane. His eyes shut and his shoulders fell. "You've figured some of it out too. Trina has once attempted suicide as a result of Tori's grudge, if one of the girls were to die, Holly would certainly separate from the family-"

"She seems like she could potentially kill Mr. Vega. I don't think I can do anything to save their marriage."

"Probably not. She would kill him. If one of her daughters-or both-left and never looked back, or ended up dying as a result of something she would blame on his negligence, she will kill him. A murder that would destroy her life as well, and the lives of her children."

"Death." He opened his eyes, humming softly as she bowed her head. "My sister…" Her hands trembled and her eyes welled up with tears. "My sister said each member was at a crossroads of sorts, making decisions that would lead them towards their individual fates…is that true?"

"Yes." She knew Trina was contemplating turning her back on the family, or at the very least leaving that home. If the girl already attempted suicide once, then there was always a danger of a second attempt if things didn't change. Tori continued to make decisions each time she made the bullying worse through her words and actions.

Gary mentioned already that Holly was seriously considering separation from David, but just how far was that?

Then there was the tragedy that could befall the family. "I don't understand. We've been talking individual fates, but you mentioned the large tragedy-the one that you won't tell me the details. What is that?"

"Only one relative possesses the desperation, the anxiety and obsession to cause multiple relatives to appear on my list. That is the one you should focus most on. Even I would be sorry to see another John List."

"Who?"

"Research it." She nodded. Death breathed in deep and turned towards him. "How much of the bible do you know of, Jade?"

"Not much. I've read a little of it." She wasn't a religious person, nor much of a believer in God. "There are a lot of different religions out there."

"All made by men who do not know much about the afterlife. Some may be true, some may not be, I am not here to discuss religious matters." She nodded again and walked towards the dining room table nearby. "Do you know the story of King David and Bathsheba?"

"Yeah." She raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder. "Wasn't that technically rape?" He coughed once and she grinned when she saw a smirk flash on his face; it was unusual to see him smile, much less smirk or snicker.

"Well David was far from pure or perfect, that is for certain, but that is besides the point. What happened to her husband? Uriah."

"He died, right?" She remembered this part of the story: King David saw Bathsheba bathing on a rooftop and wanted her for a wife. They laid together and bore a child. In the process of this, out of jealousy and lust, David ordered Uriah to the front lines of a battle, knowing and intending to cause his death. "He basically ordered Uriah's death…."

"Yes." She waved her hand in a circle, not understanding the point of this story being mentioned. "Mr. Vega has also made one decision that could point towards his own fate and the fates of others." A somber look filled his eyes as he looked towards Trina. "That girl loves her father, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah." A heaviness overtook her and she began growing numb. "Wait…Gary just got called in to investigate a homicide. You're not saying-"

"David has sent Gary to investigate a possible homicide in a known gang hideout. He intends at the last minute to order the other offers away, leaving Gary on his own."

"What?" She screamed out in anguish, causing a rush of cold air to sweep through the room. "No!" Trina raised her head up again, looking about the room suspiciously while rubbing her arms. "I have to find Gary and put a stop to this somehow."

"He's a former Navy Seal, and a damn good fighter. He will be okay."

She knew Death saying that meant the man would make it out, but she didn't know what condition that would be. Alive meant many different things-and the version of 'alive' she wanted was uninjured.

"He's not ending up comatose or anywhere close to death. I won't let it." With that, she vanished with hopes of appearing wherever Gary was. She had no plan, but she didn't care. She was aware of what the death of-or grave harm-Officer Malone would do to not only Trina, but the rest of the Vega family. It would truly set her back, and make the life state of the clan graver than it already was.

* * *

What are your thoughts of everything going on here? Finally it's revealed what became of Jade's sister. We see how close Trina is to her dad, so he's a good influence in hers and Tori's lives. If something were to happen, that could be grave indeed. What do you think is the tragedy that Death speaks of regarding the entire family? What are your thoughts of the other individual paths? There may be some things that Jade can't salvage, could David's and Holly's marriage be one of those?


	13. Life and Death

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Thought I'd clear up based upon what Death said last chapter. A Reaper cannot choose between life or death, they cannot influence whether someone meant to die will live or whether someone alive will die. The Grim Reaper can only take a dead soul to the beyond, whether above or below. They can also see a death before it occurs.

Ghosts can influence the environment, people and things around it-a ghost can cause a death (We've seen that Jasmine has done that) or prevent a death, Jade has already prevented one potential death by pushing Mitchell out of that window. Jade's assignment is to prevent the mass death that the Grim Reaper has seen.

Chapter 13 (Life and Death)

* * *

Jade fell to the ground with a grunt, her right knee bent and struck the ground and she threw her head up to look at where she was. Directly in front of her was Gary Malone, surrounded by backup of about six officers-each of them likely loyal to Mr. Vega.

Jade licked her lips slowly and looked towards the building nearby. It was a large warehouse with shattered windows and cracked foundation. Gary was running the officers through a step by step, since it looked like the alleged murder was going to turn into a gang drug bust.

A single shuttering breath fell from between her clenched teeth. "How many gang members are in there I wonder?" She moved for the building, passing through the barred door as though it were nonexistent. "Death knows when someone is dead, if there was a homicide here, he'd be here…"

Jade scanned the surrounding area with her eyes. A low growl rumbled from her throat as she saw only emptiness. "Where's the dead body?" Death hadn't indicated that anyone actually died. His exact words had been 'alleged homicide'-even David had decided not to come, albeit it being a ruse.

Given the eerie silence and emptiness, Jade was wondering how deep this ruse had gone. To the point, she was curious if David was in collaboration with the alleged gang themselves.

Certainly his jealousy and paranoia over Gary taking away his family wouldn't lead him down a path so dark?

Ever since Katie's death, he'd been paranoid and afraid. Jade did take some time to ponder Katie's influence over him, since she knew ghosts could physically affect the mood of the living-and with Katie's mood swings, David would likely be all over the board.

Could it be enough to cause David to become so paranoid as to commit murder? This potential set up on Gary's life seemed indicative of such influence; so as much as she hated to admit it, Katie was doing more harm than good by sticking around.

The girl surely didn't realize her own impact on the man. "I'll worry how to fix that later," Jade said while breathing in deep. She shook her head and moved forward. "First, dealing with the gang and the price on Gary's head…then David." She rolled her eyes, mumbling over having to save yet another life from the hands of one of the Vega parents; the first being Robbie with Holly.

Jade heard a rustling from nearby and followed it as quick as she could. When she rounded a stack of boxes, she saw one gang member crouched behind it. "There you are." Her grin grew wide and she rubbed her hands vigorously.

The boy was looking off to the right and had a serious expression as though waiting for something. When she followed his gaze, she spotted a large built man in a brown fur coat-likely the leader. "So it's an ambush." She clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Davie, Davie, Davie. This is not looking good for you."

While she knew things were serious, she never realized it was this serious. Tori and Trina were _not_ the members of the family she ought to be focusing on most-the _parents_ were. "If anyone's going to destroy that family, it'll be one of the parents."

"You're not wrong." She jumped upright and spun around, growling vehemently at Death's knowing smirk and narrow eyes. "Enjoying what you're learning?"

"Not really." Her heart sped with his presence, and a nervous sweat broke from her brow. "What are you doing here? Is someone going to die? I thought you weren't here because nobody was dying. You said Gary would 'be just fine'. Were you lying?" Death's eyes flickered away and towards the gang leader, then he shrugged.

"I never lie. I'm only here as a reminder to you, Miss West." He glanced back at her and Jade felt a heaviness in her gut. "You're discovering things, not only about the family and yourself, but about the supernatural and how the supernatural world affects the living." His nostrils spread apart and a rush of air flowed from them. "This is important. Highly so."

Daylight spilled into the area and the two looked up in time to see Officer Malone's shadow stretching from the doorway. "So it begins…" Death stepped back while bowing and shaking his hands.

Jade watched Gary closely, seeing him turn his head back to ask where in the hell his backup had gone to. No sooner did silence respond than did he receive his answer. The gang lying in wait sprang into action at the signal of the leader and Gary turned his startled gaze back.

"Shit!" Gary ducked to the right just as one of the gang members fired a shot from a gun. Jade saw the bullet ricochet off the wall to his right and she jumped up to action. "What is this?"

One of the gang members rose up behind Gary, sliding a braided rope around the man's neck. Gary reached up just in time to grab the rope with his hands in front of his neck. He grit his teeth and his muscles tightened. "Puta," the gang member spat, "Vega sends his regards."

Jade stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening as she watched the realization dawn on Officer Malone's face. "Oh that's not good," she muttered. "He knows it's a setup, he'll confront David without a doubt!"

Gary's cheeks filled with air and he puffed out a breath of air. "Fuck. You." The gang member trying to strangle him from behind was scrawny and thin like a twig, so Jade wasn't surprised when Gary folded himself over and flung the kid overhead.

She tilted her head and whistled. "Nice." Gary pulled his standard police revolver from its holster and aimed it at the approaching gang-of which there were ten members, including the leader.

"Homicide," Gary said while flashing the badge in his coat. "I'm here investigating an alleged homicide." The leader of the gang spit on the ground and chuckled lowly.

"There ain't a hom-o-cide yet detective." The leader spread his arms out and lunged his chest and shoulders forward while pointing his fingers towards the ground. "But when we through with you, there will be." The man tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. "Old man."

Gary flinched, hesitating enough to lower his weapon. "Screw this gun, I'll beat your ass with my bare hands for that." He holstered the gun while the other gang members removed switchblade knives from their pockets. "Someone mind telling me what the hell's going on, kid?"

"I'm no kid. My name's Esteban Gonzalez." Gary scoffed and shrugged. Esteban crossed his arms. Jade sidled up next to the leader, looking over him with her eyes while trying to spy any hidden weapons or other items. "Seems like someone don't want you messin' around with their family. We here in the Manos know all about family and loyalty."

"You don't know a damn thing about what's going on." Gary removed his jacket and tossed it on the ground. "What's the fucker paying you? I'm willing to bet that coward's deceiving you."

"He say, no se…" Esteban tilted his head and rolled his hand in the air. "Ten G for problem removal. Should be easy crappin' on an old timer like you, eh?" Gary sniffed and his eyes started to narrow.

"You don't look a damn day older than twenty-five." Jade's eyes caught a glimpse of a figure trying to sneak up behind Gary, but before she could react, Gary acted first. He spun around, crouching low to grab the kid's arm, then twisted the arm first and yanking it around the kid's back. His knee dug into the small of the gang member's back, causing the kid to scream out in pain. "You don't know a damn thing about giving a good fight, so don't start talking to _me_ about kicking my ass." He raised his arm and dug the elbow into the back of the kid's neck, dropping him unconscious on the ground.

Esteban seethed with rage and snapped his fingers. As he did, another one of the gang ran for Gary, slicing a switchblade knife through the air. Gary ducked low and dealt a heavy punch into the middle of the kid's sternum.

Shockingly, Jade thought she saw the boy's own soul get blown from his body, but it was only his skin and clothes moving from the force of impact. The boy crumpled to the ground, clutching himself in fetal position and groaning as he rolled from side to side.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Esteban growled. "You can't take out an old shit? Fuckin' kill him, you assholes!" Two gang members, both skinny men a head shorter than Gary, ran for him with large knives raised in their hands.

Gary ducked behind a large metal cabinet and started pushing it, groaning as he put all his strength into the push. The two boys stopped in their tracks, watching with frightened gazes as the boxes on the cabinet began falling towards them. "Oh no, no, no!" They cried as they began to turn.

One ducked out of the way in time, but the other was caught beneath the boxes and the cabinet itself, pinned from the waist down. The one that managed to get away hopped onto the cabinet and began skipping along the shelves towards Gary.

Jade was about to run to help, but Gary managed to grab the boy's wrist as he tried to stab and yank him back-releasing at the right time to throw the boy into the wall. The boy got back up, staggering for a second before trying to take another swing at Gary.

Gary dodged one strike, then a second, but was cut on the left shoulder by the third. The slice itself looked deep to Jade because of the blood flowing from the wound, but Gary appeared unfazed and continued trying to dodge until he took advantage of an opening and performed a sweeping kick into the boy's side.

At the same time of the kick from the right, he swung a bent left arm down, striking the neck and shoulder region of the boy with his elbow. The boy fell like plaster after being hit by a sledgehammer.

Jade watched in awe as Gary continued handling the gang members, but she sensed and paid attention to Esteban's growing frustration. "He's giving a great fight, Esteban clearly doesn't like losing…" She didn't know which gang member delivered that first gunshot, but seeing how few of the gang there had been using guns, she was suspicious that maybe Esteban was the only one and he figured his men didn't need guns to take Gary on.

Except he should have realized what he was dealing with if he truly wanted Gary to die today.

Jade saw the flashes of red in Gary's eyes, and knowing how former veterans struggled with things like PTSD, she knew Gary was holding back a great deal from literally killing these people.

All the while, Death was still sitting nearby, causing her a great deal of anxiety and frustration.

She swept her hand through her hair and walked towards Gary. He had the last gang member up against the wall, clutching him by the neck. He was losing himself, and to Jade, she understood the line between reality and flashbacks was becoming far too muddied.

Just as she was about to approach and try to find a way to pull him back to her senses, she heard a clicking noise that turned her blood cold. She turned her head slowly, seeing Esteban extending a pistol that was aimed directly at Gary's lower back.

She could see the image perfectly in her mind, though not a premonition: if Esteban shot Gary then and there, he would paralyze the man permanently. Then the gun fired and a flash of fire exploded from the barrel. "I don't think so!"

Jade through her hands forward, screaming in anguish. Suddenly all of time seemed to stop and Jade saw the bullet hovering just before her chest. She jerked her head back and glanced over to Death, who was still watching in a seated position with his right index finger tapping his cheek.

Without thinking, still fueled by her anger and desire to protect the Vega girls' father, she tapped the bullet in an attempt to turn it.

The minute she touched it, time flowed once more and the bullet shot back in the direction it came. Her eyes widened as she watched blood splash in front of her and Esteban fall to the ground. "W-What?"

Gary released the gang member, now back to reality and he turned around, confused by what just happened.

He ran towards Esteban, calling for backup on his police radio while trying to administer first aid. Jade remained, staring down at the gang leader with a trembling shock rushing through her body.

"Did I do that?" She stammered. Her hand vibrated against her chest and she looked up as Death strode across the way, still with a knowing smirk. She shrieked and pointed at Esteban's body. "What did I do? I couldn't have done that. I-"

"There was to be a death today." Death placed his hand on Esteban's shoulder, looking at the gaping bullet wound in Esteban's left chest. Gary continued administering first aid, which was what he was supposed to do until the ambulance showed up.

Tears fell from her eyes and she dropped to her knees, watching in horror as Death pulled Esteban's soul from his body. "Congratulations!" Death said with a grin as the frightened and confused gang leader stared back at him. "I'm the Grim Reaper, and this is your last day on planet Earth."

There was a further exchange, with Esteban attempting to plead before Death slashed through him with his long cane. Jade covered her face with her arms and turned as Esteban's soul evaporated into particles and was absorbed into the ground.

Death set his cane down with a sigh and looked over to her with a frown. "You need to remember. Ghosts have a powerful impact on the world of the living. Did you kill that guy? Yes…You did." Jade stammered and blubbered incoherently.

"It isn't hard to understand." Death moved towards her, sighing still as distant sirens filled the air. "Stories you hear of poltergeists, people dying of fright due to ghosts? These things all happen. Even your own sister possessed the body of your abusive mother…and drove her off a cliff in an attempt to save your life."

Jade covered her face with trembling hands and rocked forward as her grief screamed from her lips. "It's not a bad thing that you did." She couldn't understand that part; it wasn't something she wanted to do. She had only meant to make the bullet go a different direction.

"I-I could see it paralyzing him. I reacted. I didn't-"

"I know you did. I put that image in your head because that was what was going to happen _without_ your influence. He would have lapsed into a coma and awoke without the ability to walk, but you prevented that…even still, I saw Esteban's death the moment you came here in your haste. Just as I saw Mr. Shapiro's death before you acted to possess Holly's body and save his life."

It was a difficult pill to swallow, but knowing how she could affect both extremes was devastating as it was eye opening. "You can't prevent or cause a death or a life to be saved, but a ghost can?"

"Exactly, Jade. I can only see a death as it will occur. I can see it long before it ever happens if it occurs by normal circumstances, a ghost's involvement muddies things." Death crossed his arms and looked at Gary. "I still see the deaths of the Vega members that are on my list, even though you now become a catalyst that can potentially save them…I will no longer see them on my list as you do things that will cause their lives to change."

She understood much, though it was still so little. All she could do was grieve over the death she'd just caused, but at the same time she was happy that Gary was mostly unharmed. "W-What would have happened had I not prevented that bullet?" She sniffled and wiped away the tears on her eyes. "Please tell me, Death. Please. I-I can't stand knowing I killed someone and not knowing what would have happened…"

"It was just one of the many paths of the final fates." Death's eyes appeared to glow for a moment, startling her to silence. He took a deep breath and shut his eyelids. "He would have laid comatose for so long. Trina would have disintegrated in the hospital waiting for him to awaken while Holly would have eventually murdered her husband in a fit of rage." She gasped out and clutched her chest. "The murder would have caused a irreparable rift in the family that left Trina in a near catatonic state. Once their mother went to prison, Tori would have gone off on her own without looking back. Eventually Gary would awaken to find himself paralyzed, Trina would have died due to poor health, and Tori would have ended up blaming Gary for everything."

Horror swelled within her heart and she glared at Esteban on the ground. Remembering what happened with Mitchell some time ago, she couldn't help but to be curious her influence in his case as well. "I changed things when Mitchell came in that night?"

"Yes."

"What-What would have…."

"He would have sexually assaulted and murdered Trina in her sleep-tying her up first." She dropped back to her knees, clutching her chest harder and crying out. "Having lost her older sister, Tori would have become grieved and reclusive. Holly would have hunted Mitchell down, and in her anger she would have also started attacking the rest of Tori's friends, blaming them as well for everything. Uncaring any longer to protect them, Tori would have let her mother do as she pleased. David would have thrown himself further into his work, hoping to avoid his family even more after that…while still wanting to hold them with his ironclad grip. No doubt he and Officer Malone would constantly be at each other's throats after that."

"Oh god. That's no better than the last thing."

"Of course not, Jade."

"A-And Robbie?"

"I think you know a result was prevented…"

"Yeah, that murder would have caused a rift, wouldn't it?"

"Definitely." Death smiled with reassurance before patting her on the shoulder. "Try not to be upset over the death of Esteban, okay?" She closed her fists and bowed her head, watching a teardrop fall to the ground.

"How can I not?"

"Because you prevented one tragedy." She raised her head up and nodded once. "Consider this a lesson. You know that you can influence things, you can change things. You do not decide who lives or dies, but you are able to prevent death and cause death. You're a ghost, a powerful force, and you decide what to do with that. Now you're aware of the influence you have."

"Right…I'm also aware of something else."

"What?"

"Katie. I think her emotions may unintentionally be causing David all this paranoia."

"Possible." Death stepped back and began to fade. "Find out and decide what has to be done. Life and death may be in your hands, so be cautious and wise in your actions. That is the lesson for today…."

* * *

So here we discover just how Jade's influence may change certain results, and she learns a very important lesson. What are your thoughts and observations of the chapter? What do you think this means for the future?


	14. Dire

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: I wanted to point out here since I can't reply to the question in your last authornote regarding Jade's feeling of guilt over the kill in the last chapter. It wasn't over breaking any sort of universal law, it was because she just killed someone-whether good or bad-she has never taken a life before. So she was upset over that, primarily as any would be after being responsible for killing somebody

* * *

Chapter 14 (Dire)

Not surprisingly, the Vega women were already converging at Gary's home by the time he returned. He barely stepped foot in the door when Holly ran up to him, throwing her arms around his neck. Trina and Tori, who had been sitting anxiously on the couch, jumped up as soon as they saw him.

"What happened?" Tori asked before anyone could truly react. "We got a call saying there was an attack or something." Jade could see the terror on the girls' faces and wished there was a way she could give them some amount of comfort, but there wasn't anything she could do.

"It was a planned ambush," Gary answered while hugging Holly tight. He took a breath and looked up as his daughters hurried over to hug him. "I'm fine." Gary's face was tense and strained, suggesting to Jade that he was holding back some of his anger. It was also likely he didn't want to say David was the reason.

"Planned?" Holly's brow was fraught with worry, her trembling lips pursed and her hands slid down his chest. "On the police or on you?" Gary placed a gentle hand on her wrist and smiled with reassurance.

"It doesn't matter." Jade walked off to the right and glanced to see Katie materialize. The girl was leaning forward, staring at the group with a misty gaze. Jade felt her heart sink and started for the girl.

"Hey." She smiled vaguely and spoke with a somber tone. "What's going on, Katie?" Katie sniffled and wiped away a tear that ran down her cheek.

"I know dad's the one responsible. I just…why would he do that?"

"Jealousy? Paranoia." She shrugged, unable to provide what she felt was a satisfactory answer. It was hard enough for her to think on how to let the girl know she was the one influencing things with her emotions; but she had to try. "Katie? I think we need to work on getting you to cross over."

"What?" Katie raised her eyebrows and her mouth opened wide. "My dad still needs me. He can't do anything without clinging to me."

"And that's just it." She curled a finger over her upper lip and looked up as the Vega girls led Gary to the couch. "I just think…" She trailed off, shaking her head. This matter needed a delicate touch as bluntness would just set her off. "You remember that night…when Mitchell was trying to break into Trina's room?"

"Yeah."

"Remember how my emotional state overwhelmed everything that night?" Katie pressed her lips together and nodded. Jade whisked her hand away with a sigh and dropped it to her side. "When I was with Beck in the hospital room the first time, I could feel my presence affecting him. I was emotional, unable to control him."

"Uh huh." Katie furrowed her brow and her hands began to shake after a second. "Wait-are you saying my own emotions are affecting things?"

"You're the one that told me as a ghost, we can affect the living. You're certainly not _causing_ David to go after Gary, but I think you may be putting him on edge without meaning any harm…and we need to fix that somehow."

Katie seemed to shrink, stumbling to the right as fresh tears poured down her face. There was a flash of denial and anger in the girl's eyes, but Katie remained still in place. "I don't want to cause him any pain. I'm not _trying_."

"No, I know." Jade folded her arms and paced to the right. "Mr. Vega is paranoid-terrified of anyone taking his family away from him despite pushing them away by avoiding them. Gary said if he didn't kick it into gear, he'd take his family back, and that set him off."

"What can be done?"

"I'm not sure." She heard Tori and Trina commenting about Gary, and somehow the conversation had turned to David with them as well. They wanted Holly to divorce him and get back with Gary, but Gary was adamant that they try to work things out with their father. "Gary loves them, but he isn't set on stealing Holly from David…" Though he likely couldn't control whether she left David or not. "We need to keep our eyes on him, and on Mrs. Vega."

"Her too? Why?"

"Because she's quick to anger. I would hate to see her kill Mr. Vega or one of my friends because she's so pissed." Even now, Holly had been pressing Gary for details. Jade could see in her eyes, the woman wanted to hunt down the man responsible for the ambush.

Jade leaned back, stretching her arms behind her and exhaling as she turned her gaze upwards. "I um…found something out." Katie's eyebrow rose and she leaned in with intrigue. "Ghosts can manipulate things, taking lives in the process." Her head fell and her shoulders dropped like weights. "I ended up turning a bullet around, killing the shooter…I saved Officer Malone in the process, but…"

"It's alright." Katie pat her on the back and smiled gently, bringing some comfort to her. "You saved Gary. That's the important thing."

"I know. The guy was a bad guy too, but I just can't help feeling like…like I don't know. I've never killed someone before." Before she could say much else, she saw Gary marching for the door, his cell phone firmly in hand. His face was stern and filled with anger, and his muscles were tense. "Wait. What's going on?"

Katie hooked a finger over her lip. "Um, I think he just got a text from Dad. I heard him telling them that."

"Oh no." Her blood went cold and she ran after him without hesitation. David was surely taunting him. She wasn't sure, but whatever the case, she needed to be there.

Gary's arrival in David's house came like thunder and lightning, leaving Jade little time to react. The man practically tore the hinges in the process. David was on the couch with a look of contempt. "So you managed to come out safely." David ran his hand behind his head and took a deep breath. "I'm glad."

"You're damn right I survived." Gary grabbed David's shirt and yanked him off the couch, glaring hotly into his eyes. "You fucking bastard-the gang leader told me you hired them. _You_ called off my team." David raised his eyebrows and clenched his teeth, growling as Gary shook him. "You were trying to have me killed!"

"I did no such thing."

"Don't you lie to me!" Gary flung David to the ground with a mighty roar and tried to stomp him with his right foot. David rolled out of the way, shouting at the top of his lungs. "I should tear you apart, Dave!"

Jade began trembling, watching as Gary yanked David back by his heels and released him into the coffee table. Sweat coated her hands as her eyes darted from left to right. "God how do I stop this?" She shut her eyes, whimpering as David lunged for Gary's legs and grabbed them, pulling the man down to the ground.

"No one is going to take my family away, not even you." David pushed his hands around Gary's neck, squeezing as tight as he could. His eyes were full of rage, and his lips were rolled back into a snarl. "I'll kill you if you take them from me!" Gary pushed his arms and elbows into David's neck and chest, gritting his teeth as he tried pushing David off him.

"You think killing their father is going to keep them close?"

"They won't leave me."

"You're insane." Gary dug his knee into David, and once the man's grip loosened, he flung the man off of him and jumped up to his feet.

David got up, breathing heavily as he wiped some blood from his face. Jade watched Gary's eyes drift towards the end table. When she saw a bottle of brandy, her stomach churned. Gary rolled his eyes and grabbed he bottle. "No wonder, you've been drinking."

Jade heard a thump come from nearby and turned around, facing the back door just in time to see someone running to the bushes. Her eyes narrowed as she moved through the glass door and approached the person hiding outside.

When she saw Mitchell, she was aghast. "What is he doing out of jail?" No doubt he made bail while awaiting trial, but this wasn't good. She put her hands to her hips and smirked. "If you're looking for Trina, she's not here."

She spun back around and moved to the glass door, placing her hand gently onto it. "If this doesn't get your attention…" She pounded on the door until both men looked at it.

"What's going on out there?" David asked. Gary approached, humming thoughtfully. When he noticed Mitchell, he jerked back and cried out in rage.

"The hell is that bastard doing out there?" Gary flung the glass door open with such incredible force that Jade was astonished the glass didn't shatter. He stormed out with David in tow, and it wasn't long before Mitchell bolted for the gate.

No sooner than he reached the gate, did it swing open. To Jade's surprise, Holly moved in and glared down on him with a virulent glare. "Mitchell. It's been a very long time." Holly clamped her hand on the man's shoulder, causing him to scream out in shock. "I can't believe they let you out on bail."

"I just wanted to find and apologize to Trina," Mitchell replied, "Nothing else."

Jade whispered and walked forward. "Why don't I believe you?" Holly clutched Mitchell's neck, tightening her hand until her nails drew blood. Jade groaned as Gary and David ran for her.

"You had a rape bag on you," Holly pushed him against a nearby tree, glaring into Mitchell's trembling eyes. "You were going to hurt my little girl. I've already nearly lost their father today, I don't need someone like you stalking about…"

Gary and David pulled at Holly, but she clung to Mitchell like a cat, shrieking for them to let her go. Mitchell gripped Holly's wrist and clenched his eyes shut as he strained himself to pull her from his throat.

"I'll tear you a new one." Holly shrugged the men off her and swung her left hand down towards Mitchell's crotch, crushing it between her nails. Bile shot up from Jade's stomach as she heard the man rip out a blood curdling scream.

"This can't be happening." Jade put her hands to her head and looked around frantically for Death, wondering if he was nearby or if someone was about to die here. His not being there _was_ a comfort, but she didn't know how long that might last before something terrible happened.

"Damn it Holly, that's enough!" Gary put his arms around her stomach and pulled her back just as David pushed his hands down onto her arms. Mitchell dropped to his knees and grabbed his throat, panting heavily.

Holly's shadow fell over him and her venomous glare caused him to tremble. "You two aren't much better," she sneered, "I saw him sneak out back here while the two of you were in there fighting." The men froze as she turned her head to them. "You think I didn't know?" Holly pointed at David, threatening him with her eyes. "I'd better not find out you were responsible for what happened to Gary, by the way. If I do…"

The darkness of her voice sent shivers down Jade's spine, filling her with a great deal of fear. She watched the woman's eyes and followed them to a knife on the counter. A knot swelled in her throat, and she began to feel sick to her stomach once more.

"If I do, David, I'll make sure you regret trying to take my girls' father away from them." David crossed his arms and scowled at his wife. All the while, Jade was paralyzed by fear and anxious about what would happen next. Holly threw her hands up in frustration and shot another glare at Mitchell. "Whatever. Call the police or whoever, tell them Trina's stalker broke into our yard again."

Katie appeared beside her, shaking her head and sobbing in silence. "Something has to be done," Katie remarked, "Something _has_ to be done. What? I'm afraid…"

* * *

Thoughts?


	15. For a Moment

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 15 (For a Moment)

Left contemplating her options, Jade knew something need to be done and quickly, but she wasn't sure how to go about it. She was beginning to realize some of the scenarios that could potentially happen, and what the end result may be. David and Holly were indeed the likeliest to cause an explosion, but she couldn't prevent a fire if she couldn't find a source.

Deciding she wanted a brief distraction, Jade appeared where Beck was. They were at the martial arts class, and of course, everyone was sparring. However, she didn't see Trina anywhere. "Hey, where's Trina?" Beck continued to practice his martial arts formation as though not distracted, but speaking softly to keep anyone from thinking he was talking to himself.

"Class is actually over." Beck smirked. "I suggested to them a nice quiet path out back that leads to a semi-hidden park. They both decided to go for a walk." She stifled a laugh, impressed that Beck was getting so involved in playing matchmaker. "It's not so much a park the path leads to, but a nice little open field surrounded by trees and a small lake."

"Are you saying they're going on a date?" After what just happened to Gary, it surprised her to think Trina would be so willing to go out rather than focus on her dad. Beck's nose crinkled and he shook his head.

"No, but they're talking. I think he's just being supportive of her right now, all things considered." His eyes drifted to the side and he turned, kicking forward. "They seem to be easing into the idea of going out with someone again, and I think their sights are set on each other."

Beck grabbed a towel from his shoulder and wiped his face. "I have a suspicion though." He lowered the towel and looked at her in the eyes. "I've overheard her saying she's afraid of David, afraid he may actually try something." Beck raised an eyebrow. "Do you think he's capable?"

"Oh I do." Her eyes grew large and her mouth opened in an oval. "David and Holly both."

"Trina's thinking of leaving. Taking off and never coming back." Jade's heart stopped and she looked off to the right. She had some idea what may happen if Trina did that, and it wasn't a good one. "Jason was telling her he thinks yeah, she should get away from a toxic environment, but not burn the bridges to her family for good."

"Tori might lose it first if she did that." She moved her head from left to right, sighing deeply. "Then Holly's a ticking time bomb herself." She could picture the older woman blaming everyone and everything for her daughter cutting ties with the family. Beck turned his head and furrowed his brow. "She hates all of us, Beck. She knows Robbie's responsible for that harness, she knows we're all responsible for a lot of the insecurity Trina feels….so if Trina cut ties, who do you think would be the first people she blames?"

"Us." He started for the door and Jade followed after. "So what happens once she does that?"

"She's unstable enough. She's tried to kill Robbie, probably thought about cutting my life support at least once. Do the math." Beck froze with his hand on the door, his eyebrows twitched and his lips pursed. It didn't take much to understand what Holly might do to the group, and it was something they didn't want to believe. "She just looked ready to kill Mitchell the other day."

"Mitchell?"

"Trina's stalker ex-boyfriend, Beck."

"Shit."

It wasn't long before they met up with Andre, Robbie and Cat. "Hey guys." Beck high fived Andre and looked at the others with a subtle frown. "So, how's everyone doing?"

Robbie looked over and jerked a thumb at Andre. "Andre's got a new girl." Andre's cheeks reddened and Beck's eyebrows rose as Jade started to smirk. "I think he's actually planning on keeping this one."

"We're just talking," Andre said, "She has some mementos from my family stashed away in the attic of her home." He blinked twice and leaned against a nearby fence. "Funny question she asked me though. 'Do you believe in ghosts'?" Jade chuckled softly and Beck rolled his eyes.

"I know I do," Beck muttered, "I believe they're everywhere." Andre cupped his chin and looked to the ground. "Anyway. I called everyone here because I wanted to talk about something important." Beck leaned back against a large rock, sliding his hands backwards along the surface. "It's about Tori and her family." The group perked up, listening in earnest. "Remember how I said we needed to back off a little bit from Tori? Yeah she needs a friend right now, but more than that…there's an issue. One I can't say much about. That issue is her mom. Because of certain things going on, I think it would be best for everyone to just stay away completely for a while."

"Why?" Cat inquired.

"Because it's safer that way. It's safer than having something happen to Tori or to Trina, and then having her mother going on some hell bent revenge spree." Beck raised his hand and pointed to Robbie. "She knows you're the guy that did the harness." Andre and Cat snapped their stunned eyes onto Robbie and he started to shrink. "She knows Jade's the one that stole medical supplies a few years back and put Tori in a very dangerous state."

Andre squinted and wiggled his nose. "So you're saying she knows we're responsible for a lot of bullshit?" Beck dropped his hand down to the edge of the rock and nodded.

"Yes, and she's a very angry, very stressed out woman. If you're not careful, you'll be in a lot of trouble-more than any of us probably know." Jade wasn't sure how Beck planned to talk his way around this one, especially because the group didn't look all that convinced he even knew what he was talking about.

Beck pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing in slowly. "I uh, I got a warning from someone in the family. Some really big thing happened that they didn't want to go into detail about, and Mrs. Vega's on the rampage at the moment. So it's better to stay away than to put ourselves in the position to be on the wrong end of her ire."

"That makes a little bit of sense," Robbie replied, "I mean she seemed really off-kilter that one time at the hospital recently." He ran his hand along his throat, rubbing it gently. "I didn't feel too good then, and I still feel a bit uncomfortable."

"I don't have much reason to go around them right now," Andre replied with a shrug, "I'm a little busy lately." He chuckled once and Robbie flashed a teasing grin.

"Yeah, busy with that lady friend of yours."

"Hey man, it's not like that."

"Oh it is. It is so like that."

Cat folded her arms and shook her head. "Tori needs a friend right now. You guys can stay away if you want, but I'd rather not." Beck glanced at Jade with an uncertain look. Jade took a moment to discern whether or not this would be an issue, but she couldn't see why it would be.

Cat wasn't one of the ones Holly worried a lot about, so she had the least chance for earning the woman's wrath. At the same time, Cat never tried to start shit, so she was less likely to do or say something that would be an issue.

"I think that'll be fine," Jade responded. Beck nodded and clasped his hands together.

"That's fine, Cat. You stand a better chance at just being a friend and not a trigger-point." He closed his eyebrows together and hummed. "That said, if anyone does run into Tori…lay off her sister, okay? If Tori starts to say something, don't respond-don't agree, and above all else, do not pick on or belittle Trina if she is nearby. Trust me on that."

"Yeah how is she doing?" Cat uncrossed her arms and stepped forward. "It seems like she's been depressed, but that poker game a while back with Sikowitz's nephew…it looked like she was smitten."

"Smitten?" Robbie laughed. "What guy would-" Jade grabbed a stick from the ground and tossed it, hitting Robbie square in the face. His jaw fell open and he began sputtering while Beck stifled a laugh.

"Okay, that's the nonsense I'm talking about. You don't know a damn thing about that girl." Beck started to raise his voice, growing angrier and seeming to rise above the others. "You've all followed blindly the things Tori said, becoming tools used by Tori to pick on her older sister because of something that happened a long time ago."

Robbie rubbed his face, groaning while looking around. "Who threw that?" He lowered his hand. "That's like something Jade would do, but…"

"Ignore it and just listen to me. You don't know anything about those girls or the Vega family. Right now, your best bet is just to stay the hell away from them until certain things are dealt with. That is all…"

Beck had a good handle on things here, so Jade felt like she could be better off elsewhere. Her next stop was where Trina and Jason were. They were standing before the small lake in the park, gazing silently at calm, rippling water.

"It really is peaceful," Trina whispered. Jason turned his head, smiling at her. "Can you believe Beck knew about this area?"

"It is a surprise."

"Yeah." She looked up at the setting sun and folded her hands in front of her waist. "Jason? Can I ask you…why do you think I shouldn't cut them off?" Jason hummed and turned partially.

"That should be a last resort thing, I think. I think you should try and work things out."

Trina swept her hair over her ear and bowed her head. "My sister doesn't want me around anymore, my stepfather's insane and my mom's overprotective. The whole environment is just…beyond toxic."

"You know." Jason raised his head and took a deep breath. "I say this just as a friend, someone that cares. Nothing hidden, but if you really need a safe place or just a break…My uncle would be happy to offer you a guest room, and I've got place at my apartment too if you need it." Trina's eyebrows rose and she started to smile.

"You'd do that?"

"Of course. Everyone deserves a little peace in their life." Trina's smile grew and she pushed her hair back over her ear. Jade couldn't help but to grin, watching as Trina took a step towards Jason.

"You've been good to me, Jason. Too good. A good friend, but…" Jade leaned forward, ready to push the two together if she had to. Trina looked into Jason's eyes and took a deep breath. "I trust you. I can't say that about a lot of men, I've had a lot of bad luck."

"You have been through a lot of bullshit."

"Do you think I'm worth having around, Jason?"

"Of course, I wouldn't be offering to help you out if I didn't." Trina started to sniffle and she leaned forward, tentatively hugging Jason. He seemed startled at first, but it didn't take him longer than a second to wrap his arms around hers.

Trina sidled up to him and set her head on his chest, smiling gently as she exhaled. "Thank you." Jason rubbed her back and set his chin atop her head.

Jade was beside herself with joy, but at the same time she wasn't sure what this would mean. It was good that Jason was able to try and convince Trina to give her family more chances, especially since her cutting them off could cause more harm than good.

As far as she could tell, Tori still needed her sister and cared, though she had an odd way of showing it.

Jade was beginning to get an idea of how she could help everyone find some happiness, but it would involve more of a hands-on approach than one of an observer. She was well aware that Tori's family and friends would be understanding of her situation, but that she needed to move beyond her fear.

Then there was the issue of David, who appeared the center of a lot of trouble. Holly wanted to leave him, but leaving would be much too dangerous.

Just as she was beginning to come up with ideas, Death appeared at her side, startling her. "How lovely to have a moment of peace amid chaos," Death said. Jade growled and narrowed her eyes at his smug expression. "No matter how much you hate it, I'm not going to stop popping up unannounced. Just so you know."

"What are you doing here? Is something about to happen?"

"No." Death motioned his hand to Trina and Jason. "Those two are fine. As a matter of fact, Jason is just the man she needs right now. She has an out, a means of surviving."

"Then why are you here? Just like giving me a heart attack?"

"Oh no, not at all. I just wanted to commend you on the good job you're doing." Death walked towards the two. "I see it now. One of the many, the preferred. Old age, together in their sleep, no more than an hour apart."

She was confused at first, but as it began to dawn on her, she felt a sense of relief. "Are you saying she's not on your urgent list?"

"No, but I'm saying this helps. This helps a lot." Death turned away and raised his shoulders. "Because of him, the tragedy I see, she stands a strong chance of escape."

"Oh? How?"

"Just by not being there, but being with him." Death raised his hand, sliding it through the air over Trina. "I also see birth amid tragedy. I see conception, regardless of circumstance." Jade's jaw fell open and Death grinned. "The chances of Katrina's survival is good, but you still have something terrible you must prevent."

"My god. Give me a hint, a clue, _something_."

"You've already figured some of it out." She furrowed her brow and Death approached her, looking her in the eyes. "The tragedy that occurs? David is a large part of." Her heart stopped and she felt her knees buckle. Before she could react, Death was gone, as though he were never there.

* * *

Well, what do you think? It looks like Jade getting Beck to influence Trina and Jason is starting to help, but now Death has given Jade something to work with. How involved could David be in what she must prevent? What is his role? What do you think must be done? Beck's doing good work as well, it would seem.


	16. Possible Outcomes

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 16 (The Potential Outcome)

"What disaster am I supposed to prevent? What tragedy am I supposed to prevent? Death won't tell me." Jade paced the floor, moving so quickly she was practically hovering above ground. Beck watched her closely, his eyes traveling from side to side like the eyes on a cat clock.

"You said he sees many different outcomes, right?" Beck leaned back, sliding his hands along the floor behind him and crossing his right leg over his knee. "One option is worse than the rest, and most likely? If he can't tell you, then maybe you need to figure out what it is?"

She couldn't know the specific details, but she had a hunch. Right now her biggest concerns were the Vega parents. "Whatever happens…" Jade swept her hair over her shoulder and stopped pacing, turning to Beck and descending towards the floor. "It's going to be caused by either David or Holly. I'm sure of it."

"David seems to be the most volatile." Beck raised a hand over his chin and furrowed his brow. "Sure, Holly's ready and willing to spill blood, but think about it. What is the one thing that matters above all to her?" Jade slid her hands towards her hips and bit the corner of her lower lip in contemplation.

Every interaction she saw with Holly, the woman's anger was greater than that of a typical mama bear. "She's protective of her daughters." Her eyebrows rose slowly and her mouth formed an oval. "She'll do anything to ensure their safety and their happiness, even if it means resorting to murder. She's come close to it, seeking vengeance against those who've harmed her children."

"Exactly. She seems more protective of Trina, but that's easy to see why. Trina's the one that has been severely damaged in the past; she's the one that Holly's come close to losing." This was true, even Jade could see that much. Holly was protective of Tori, sure, but not as watchful or dangerously so as she was her eldest born. "Then there's Gary, who automatically is protective of all three."

"He stands the most chance of taking them from David, but I think they'd be better off with him…if I'm thinking honestly."

Beck snapped his fingers and pointed outwards. "That. Right there." She pursed her lips and he cleared his throat. "David is possessive as hell, right? He seems distant and uncaring, but he still wants to be in control. Still wants to possess his family, going out of his way to almost murder Gary. Don't think he's done yet."

"Is that the big tragedy? Gary's murder?" Jade started to pace again, pounding her fist into the palm of her hand. "I don't think so, I saved his life. I prevented his death by…" She paused, holding her breath at the memory of her turning a final bullet into a living being. "By killing his murderer." Beck smiled sadly and looked down, his voice growing quiet.

"Yeah." He shook his head and looked up to her. "But you know what Death said. That was one outcome closed off because you saved him."

"You don't think David could try and kill Gary again?"

"I think he could _try_ , but I don't think he could get close enough again." Beck pushed himself up and locked his wrists behind his back. "Think about it. Gary's watchful, he's not going to let his guard down. Holly's ready to kill David if something happens."

"Well, what tragedy could there possibly be?"

"I…have a thought." The color started to drain from his face and he moved to the left, heaving forth a heavy sigh. "I don't know if it could go that far, I would hope not, but it could certainly be a family tragedy that would be something Death may want you to prevent."

Jade wanted to stop him, fearing that he may say something so grievous and insane that it couldn't be possible. Yet, anything that could occur had to be looked at. "What are you thinking about?" She balled up her fists and waited as the expression on her boyfriend's face grew darker. "How terrible could it be?"

"I don't know, but it seems like Death wants two things." Beck raised his hand, poking his index finger out first. "Individual happiness in the lives of the Vega clan. Granted, I'm not sure if one may have to be sacrificed or not." She nodded, still thinking the answer may lie in David's unhappiness. "Then the tragedy occurs to the entire family, correct?"

"That's what he seems to be implying." She moved behind him, furrowing her brow. She moved her hands to his shoulders, frowning as her fingers slid through them. Beck closed his eyes, raising his shoulders and exhaling.

"He wants the ultimate tragedy to be prevented. It can't happen. The death of the entire clan."

"You're thinking all of them?"

"I read about an old case." He turned, his eyes filling with remembrance and knowledge. "In the 1950s, a family man by the name of John List." Jade frowned, seeing the image of John List in her mind-a surprising thing for her. Granted, Katie explained that as someone connected to the spiritual realm, the subconscious now understood and recognized names of those long since passed. "He murdered his entire family in one sweep. Killing his wife, his mother, his children, and he slipped away into the night…hidden and unfound for nearly fifty years."

Her heart stopped and she started to choke on her breath, throwing her hand up in front of her lips. "You don't think-"

"David's capable of murdering his entire family?"

"As possessive as he is? He doesn't want to _lose_ them, Beck, he wants to keep them in his hand."

"But what if he can't? What if they all leave?" Beck narrowed his eyes and dropped his hand to his side. "Have you ever heard the stalker's phrase, 'if I can't have you, no one will'?"

Light lightning flashing before her eyes, she could see the imagery. David, standing in the shadows with his bloodstained clothes. Around him, the bodies of his wife and the two girls. His chest and shoulders, heaving with each breath, and his right hand gripping firmly the standard 9mm in his hand.

She could visualize the blood pooling on the floor, staining the carpet and filling the room like water gushing from a pipe.

It was a horrific sight, something out of a nightmare. "W-What could possibly drive him to something _that_ extreme?" Beck shrugged and started walking towards the door of his RV. Jade followed after him, her eyes filling with moisture.

"Trina's moving into Jason's guest room, the last I heard."

"When did you hear that?"

"Cat's been talking with Tori, and Tori mentioned it to her. It follows, Cat mentioned it to me and the guys." Jade nodded, wondering if Beck had discovered anything else. "Of course, Tori also told her Holly's seeking a divorce." He glanced sideways at her and set his hand on the doorknob. "If she leaves, Tori goes with her."

Jade hugged her stomach, peering down as her eyes darted from side to side. She remembered what Death mentioned to her about Trina, and her head began to spin with possibilities. "Trina escapes the bloodshed." Beck raised an eyebrow and Jade raised her head up slowly. "By not being there. She's with Jason during the tragedy…"

There was the conception statement, which implied to her that maybe Trina and Jason would be in the middle of intercourse when the tragedy occurs. "I think…I think Trina might be in the clear, Beck."

"Probably. She seems to be growing happier too, I'm not so sure there's much to worry about with her." She did still want to think about working to working towards the individual happiness of the Vega members, but her fears were far more heightened with the thought of Beck's possibility. "What do you think we should do?"

"I think we need to make the lives of these people turn more positive, but I don't know how." She phased through the door and turned around to look as Beck opened the door and walked out. He looked at her for a moment, then sighed, making her feel bad for pulling a ghost move. "Sorry. Force of habit now."

"I know. God I can't wait for you to come back to life…I mean, you're not dead yet but…" He closed his eyes and let out a shuttering breath. Jade raised her hands towards his face, placing them just above his cheeks. His eyes opened halfway and he raised a hand to his cheek. "I feel that."

"You do?"

"It's cold, but warm too." He looked into her eyes with a glimpse of longing. "I love you Jade."

"I love you." Tears welled up in her eyes and she took a deep breath. "Oh Beck." He pulled away, clearing his throat. She folded her hands in front of her waist and bowed her head.

"We should focus. I want to do this for selfish reasons, I know, but I can't help to want you back sooner than later."

"It's going to take time."

"I don't want it to take time. I don't know how to be patient." He sucked in the air through his nostrils and lips, then shook his head again. "But I'll try." A tiny smile graced her lips. She leaned forward, kissing his cheek as carefully as she could. His eyebrows rose and she felt his body shiver as she pulled away.

"So what do we do, Beck? How do we work on them?"

"I think David's the most toxic and unstable at this point. Trina, Tori, Holly…they can all pull away, but if David is anywhere near, he has the ability to yank them back or turn volatile."

"Okay."

"If we do anything, getting that family away from him, he needs to be somewhere else. Maybe distracted." Beck moved forward, his eyebrows closing together. "What you said. Trina escaping the violence? If David were to kill his family because they were leaving him and he could no longer hold onto them, why would Trina-or even Gary-escape that bloodshed?"

"Who knows?" Jade shrugged, thinking of another possibility that chilled her to the core. Her visual returned, but this time she could envision David standing over his victims and turning his gun towards his head. "Murder-suicide?" Beck froze, flinching as he jerked his head upright.

"That…actually makes sense."

"It does?"

"To be put in his situation, losing everything and then killing them-what else is there for him to live for? He's a coward too, if nothing else."

"How do we stop this, Beck? How do we save them? How do we prevent an outcome like this-and is this outcome even that likely?"

"At this rate, Jade, I would say anything is likely. We are going to need help, but I don't know who can help us."

She looked outwards, thinking about those she'd encountered in the past. Turning her gaze sideways, she saw Beck looking at the ghosts that were wandering the streets. Her lips curved into a smirk as she recalled Sherwood high. "I think I have some ideas, Beck. We might need a medium though." Beck raised an eyebrow and scoffed.

"Where are you going to find one of those?"

"Really?" Her eyelids sank halfway and she watched as he slowly lowered his arms and began to shudder. "I think I have a few ideas in mind." She'd gotten Trina to Jason, but a relationship wasn't the only way to put someone on the path towards happiness. She could work on Tori, on Holly, and perhaps even David himself; but it would be tricky. "I can't do it without you, Beck."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know. Tori needs to learn to forgive herself, to accept who she is. Holly needs to trust again, to know her children will be okay and that she will be okay. Gary's already helpful in that matter, but she has some work. As for David, I just don't know. I think I can get Courtney to talk to Tori, through you though, and maybe Katie can reach out somehow to David?"

"Oh…and you think they'll just happen to believe I can talk to ghosts?" Beck rolled his eyes. Jade crossed her arms and shrugged.

"I don't know, but it's a start. If they could make themselves appear, that would be great."

"The problem still remains to be David, I think."

"I agree. We'll just have to figure out how to smooth him over…make sure he doesn't become the ticking time bomb that explodes."

"Right." Beck looked to the right and frowned as a passing ghost whispered something in his ear. Jade didn't recognize the ghost, but she had a feeling this was an important matter.

Beck crossed his arms tight and raised his shoulders up, breathing in sharp. "So I might have started using some stranded ghosts for information." She raised an eyebrow. "Looks like we've got an issue right now."

"What?"

"Mitchel escaped custody." Her blood ran cold and Beck motioned towards the ghost that passed him by. "That was a former jailer, he keeps an eye on the police department from time to time. I asked him to keep an eye on Mitchell for me."

"That isn't good…"

"Nope, Mitchell's still obsessed. We should, you know, probably stop him from going anywhere near Trina."

"You think he could find her?"

Beck gazed at her with half-lidded eyes, his hand pat his forearm slowly and his lips opened to release a huff of air. "He's a stalker." Jade sank her shoulders and bowed her head. "He'll find her. Let's find her first and get this relentless bastard away from her whatever the cost."

"Whatever the cost? Beck, I…"

"Don't worry, I'm not suggesting we kill the creep or anything-but we should make sure he gets the idea that things between him and Trina are _over_."

* * *

So, what are your thoughts? Could Death's tragic outcome truly be as devastating as the possibility Beck has brought up? What is to come?


	17. Death's Challenge

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 17 (Death's Challenge)

"You're an ass for not telling me outright." Jade glared at the tall dark man standing before her. Death bore a cocky smirk and was staring down at her with narrow eyes and a furrowed brow.

"Don't you have somewhere to be? I was under the assumption you and your love were on your way to stop Mitchell?" Death folded his forearms and wrapped his fingers around his bicep. "Not to mention, you've only learned bits and pieces. Would I tell you outright the tragedy when you do not know the people involved well enough to understand _why_ this tragic event will occur?"

"It's not fair. It's not right." She was seething, but trying her best to remain calm and respectful. After all, Death was going out of his way to help her because of her sister's request. "You would have me play guessing games with peoples' lives, up to the point that they die and you take their soul, then I lose and you take me wherever you do. You're an asshole."

His eyebrow arched high and he tilted his head. "I've never made any claim that I was not." He raised his head and exhaled slowly. "Perhaps you join your boyfriend now." Beck was well on his way to Jason's apartment, racing faster than he could to beat Mitchell to the house. "It's quite an interesting way you're going about it…You would not call the police for help?"

"And say what?" She swept her hands outwards shrugging. "Hi, a ghost told me that my friend's stalker ex-boyfriend is going after her." Death chuckled and Jade looked off to the distance. "Besides, what good would calling the police do when I'm fairly certain it's going to make either David or Gary, or both, show up-and right now I'd like to avoid anything that deals with them being in the same room."

"Or Holly?"

"Oh definitely not her." She cringed, remembering the last time Holly and Mitchell interacted. "I'd rather her not commit murder in the name of her daughter. The last thing that family needs is her going to prison."

"You may well be right about that." Death curled a finger over his upper lip and he cleared his throat. "You're a ghost, you realize you can get to either Mitchell or Trina _before_ Beck, correct?" Her eyebrows rose and she brought her hand to her forehead.

"I realize it." She'd not forgotten the fact so much as she'd been focusing on arguing with the Grim Reaper. "Are you still going to hide the true tragedy from me?" He was toying with her at this point, since if he didn't want to be there he could leave at any point.

"I'm not attempting to hide it, that is not what I want."

"What you want is for me to fail…" He folded his hands over his waist and raised an eyebrow at her. His smirk faded into a frown and his face seemed to darken in complexion. "You want me to fail and you want to drag me to hell." His forehead tensed and Jade crossed her arms, shaking her head. "Because my sister's plea threw you off schedule, made you have to sacrifice a great deal of your 'quota'."

"Au contraire, Miss West. I do not desire you to fail." She jerked her head back and looked at him with wide eyes, feeling her heart jolting to a stop. "I've become quite fascinated with your ability and dare I suggest I am actually curious to see if you'll make a positive impact in this family's life and in your own."

Jade was speechless. This was the first time she'd heard anything of the sort come from him, and it bolstered her. "I…don't know what to say…" Death rolled his head to the right and let out a grunt.

"Say nothing. I _would_ challenge you though. If you can impact the lives of these family members positively, that's good. You have your work cut out for you, but some of them are easy enough-as you've seen with Katrina…" Jade paused, listening to see where this was going. "But if you truly want to impress me, save David's life."

His words made her blood run cold, and once more the image of David standing amid a pool of blood with a dark look on his face flashed before her mind. "Save him?" She stammered, her entire body trembling at the vision. He wasn't a killer yet, and she didn't see salvation for him. "D-David?"

Death's smirk returned and like he always does, he began to fade away without another word.

His challenge weighed heavily on her mind, but as she remembered her duty, she had to put it off for the moment. "Mitchell." She closed her eyes and started to fade.

As her eyes opened, she found herself in another location, seated beside Mitchell as he stalked behind the shrubbery outside a gated apartment complex. He had a backpack and a pistol in one hand. "If I can't have you," he breathed slowly, "No one will."

Jade twitched the corner of her lip in contempt and shook her head. "Oh you are toast, Mitch. Persistent toast." She raised her hands, clenching her fingers and pushing them towards his neck. "No. Not now." She let out a sigh and looked to the right.

Beck's car approached the punch code of the gate, but he didn't see Mitchell hiding. "Beck, no…you'll let him in." She didn't want to keep Beck from going inside, but she didn't want Mitchell going in either.

She inhaled deep and gripped Mitchell's backpack firmly-using as much of her supernatural strength as possible. The gate opened and Beck began to drive in. "The fuck?" Mitchell grunted and looked around as he struggled against her hold. "What am I stuck on?" He turned his head and froze as his eyes met with the pale, ghostly white glare coming from Jade. "Holy…shit…"

Her eyes widened and her grip started to loosen. _"He sees me?"_ Thinking fast, she let out a growl and leaned close to him, thinking of herself like the Grudge girl. "Think long and hard about the path you're treading, Mitchell. Death will come for you if you do not avert."

He couldn't be as difficult as David; there was no way in hell. If she could sway Mitchell, then just maybe she could impact David the way Death was challenging her to.

Mitchell spun around, flinging himself away from her and falling onto his back, screaming as Jade stood above him like a tower. "Fuck!" Mitchell aimed the gun at her and she curled her lip into a tight smirk. "What the fuck are you!" He fired off a round of ammunition, but the bullets raced through her with only a subtle sting.

"Ah…" She took another step towards him, narrowing her eyes. "Mitchell, this course of action is inadvisable." Mitchell scrambled, crawling backwards on his hands. "Let us talk, Mitchell. You've been a bad boy, a bad boy indeed…"

"Screw you." Mitchell pushed himself up, dropping his backpack on the ground and running off.

Jade let out a sigh of exhaustion and calmly walked, like a stalker in a horror movie. She snapped her fingers and appeared before Mitchell, causing him to jump and shriek. "I was a bad girl too, and now look at me Mitchell. I'm the grim reaper's _pet_." She narrowed her eyes and grinned as she saw the sweat rolling down the side of his head. "Do you want to be Death's bitch, Mitch? Do you want to be his little pet?"

"Oh holy fuck." Mitchel turned on his heel and started to flee through a patch of trees.

"Always with the running." This was exhausting her, but she didn't want to show it. Katie was right, appearing before the living took up an enormous amount of energy, and she didn't know how long it would last. "Come here, Mitchell. I'm through chasing your ass."

She extended her hands and flicked her fingers outwards. Mitchel froze, his arms suspended in air and his body stiff. "N-N-No!" He started to scream as his body floated upwards. "Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god!"

Jade lowered one hand and balled up her fist while curling it towards her. "Come. Now." Mitchell's voice erupted into a bloodcurdling scream as he was pulled at a great speed towards her. "Now sit." Her eyes moved towards a tree and her smirk intensified. "On second thought…"

Her arm swept towards the tree and Mitchell's body was pressed up against it, causing him to flinch and cry out in pain. "What do you want from me? Whatever you are, leave me alone!"

"I'm sick of you." Jade walked towards him, sliding her hand over his throat and lacing her icy fingers around his neck. His chest heaved and he puffed his cheeks with sputtering breaths. "Stalking Katrina Vega, your plans to murder her…and what?" Jade turned her head towards the backpack and raised her free hand upwards, forcing the contents of the bag to shoot out.

Mitchell's eyes grew large and Jade hummed, keeping stoic as she examined the rope, syringe, and duct tape. "I see. You want one time with her before killing her. Well, Mitch…" She turned her head towards him, dropping her hand and the contents of the bag. "What's it going to take to make you change your ways?"

She released him, letting him fall onto his hands and knees. Mitchell began coughing, holding his throat and trembling with fear.

The rope moved from the bag, guided by Jade's fingers. Mitchell tried to scream, but his cries were stuck in his throat as his arms moved behind his back and were bound by the rope. "Is this what you were thinking of doing to her, Mitchell? Is it?"

"Please, whatever you want! I'll do whatever you say."

"Oh Mitch-y boy, it doesn't work that way. I'm so sorry."

"Oh Jesus, oh God, oh please."

"The time to come to Jesus was a while ago, little boy." She tightened the rope, forcing it to dig into Mitchell's wrists. He screamed aloud, tears pouring from his eyes. "Now, what's in the syringe?"

"What?" He was on his knees, swaying back and forth and watching with a new fear in his eyes as the syringe floated out of his bag. "Oh god no, please no. Please don't do it, don't do it to me."

"Recognize those words?" The syringe floated towards him and she smirked callously. "The words Trina would be saying right now."

"What are you! Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you." The needle came close to his skin and his shouting intensified. "Fuck you!"

"Consider me Trina's guardian angel…if you want." He bowed his head, biting his lip so hard it was beginning to bleed.

"Stop! I hear you! I'll leave her alone, I promise! I promise, oh god I'll stop!" She could hear the certainty and genuine emotion in his voice, and pulled away from him for the moment. Mitchel fell forward, burying his face in the dirt and grass. "I'll stop, I'm begging you please."

"How can I have any certainty that you will leave her in peace?"

"I'll stop, I promise, just leave me alone-oh god." He began to weep and shake like a leaf in the fall. Jade tilted her head and hummed.

"You'll turn yourself into the police, check into a mental ward. You'll serve out whatever sentence you're given, and you will go away. You will go far away from Trina…should I ever catch you, and I will, you will suffer _my_ vengeance."

"Oh god, I hear you." He leaned upright, nodding his head ferociously. "Please let me go, please don't hurt me."

"Fine." The rope slid away from his wrists and he gasped out. "But you will go straight to the police, nowhere else. Do I make myself clear?"

He began to whimper, so she repeated herself with a firm and bellowing tone. Mitchell screamed and started nodding. "Yes! Yes, the police, I'll go straight there!"

She looked into his eyes, her glare burning with certainty. "You will turn yourself in to Detective Malone…" He stiffened, knowing all too well who Gary was and that Gary would pursue the fullest extent of the law possible for this slight. "You will graciously accept the charges he brings against you."

"I will, oh I promise you I will."

"Good. Now go. Remember, I'll be watching." Mitchell nodded and took off running, fleeing for the closest police department.

"Jade?" Jade froze, her eyes moving towards the side. Trina was standing several feet away, looking like a deer in headlights. Jason and Beck were standing near, with Jason baffled and Beck surprised.

"Trina…" Jade could feel herself fading, all of her energy used up. She smiled sadly and raised her eyebrows. "I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to you, Trina. I want you to know that." She needed rest, and was looking forward to a much needed recharge. "You deserve to be happy."

Jade raised her hand, pointing at Jason. At this point, she could only imagine what she must look like to them. The lower half of her body likely appeared like a fine mist, while her upper body was fading into mist. Leaving only her head and arm as clearly visible. "Take care of her, Jason. Take care of her, treat her right."

As she faded from their view, she watched Jason put a protective arm around Trina's waist. The two started to move, walking off slowly while Beck waited for them to vanish before approaching.

Death appeared soon after, chuckling softly while folding his fingers under his chin. "That was…something else." Death smirked at her and she bowed her head.

"Was it bad?"

"I wouldn't say bad, but it was certainly unexpected." Death rolled his neck from the left to right. "You've certainly made an impact on Mitchell, put the fear of god in him. As they say."

"Well good." She crossed her arms and took a deep breath. "So, um, do you think he'll change? For the better?"

"I see only the end of life and the cause of death. I can tell you this, he will not darken Trina Vega's doorstep again." Death's tone was ominous and eerie, so she couldn't tell whether it was good or not. "The spirits are talking." Death raised his eyes skyward and huffed. Jade cocked her head to the right and furrowed her brow, wondering what the spirits were saying.

"That's right. You don't see events unless they're tied to death, but you can gain intel from the spirits."

"That's correct."

"So…what do _they_ say about Mitchell?"

Death smirked and closed his eyes. "You really want to know? Is it truly that important?" Jade shrugged.

"I'm just curious."

"So am I," Beck replied.

Death opened his eyes partially, studying the pair before letting out a slow sigh. "Fine. Thanks to your little show, Mitchell gains an interest in the supernatural. He will honor his word and no longer go after Trina, but starts to hunt ghosts. Ironically enough." Jade chuckled with amusement and Beck shook his head. "Of course, frequenting cemeteries and whatnot, he'll never actually see another ghost as long as he lives."

"Lucky guy." Beck folded his arms and Jade couldn't help but to laugh. "Seeing ghosts everywhere can drive a normal guy insane."

"No doubt." Death lowered his arms and sighed. "If you're wondering if Mitchell will ever have a normal life, no I can't say you've positively impacted his life that much. It _is_ positive, any little bit is positive. He gets the mental help he needs during and after his sentence, and shockingly he won't go after another woman the way he did Trina…sounds like that's mostly out of fear of coming face to face with another angry ghost protector."

"Any change is good change." Beck scratched the back of his head and looked over to Jade. "I'd take it."

"I agree." Death crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. "I'll be visiting Mitchell when he's thirty-six." Jade froze, stunned to hear Mitchell may be dying so soon. "Yes he's going to be changed, but he still dies young…stepping off a Cliffside in a cemetery late one night and crushing himself against jagged rocks below."

"Damn…"

"But fret not, saving his life was not a duty of yours. Though you've done it here today."

"I did?" She pursed her lips and closed her eyebrows together. "How did I save his life? He still dies in the end."

"Everyone dies, Miss West. You die, Beck dies, it's just a matter of when and where." Death turned to her, curling his hand over his chin. "You're simply tasked with stopping the when and where of the Vega family members-one of whom you've already rescued."

"Right…" Jade thought for the moment on what Death had told her before of the outcome he saw regarding Trina and Jason. As the thought came to mind, it slowly dawned on her that this was a different situation. "Wait, you said before that Trina would die in her old age with Jason at her side."

"Right, that has not changed." Death flashed a toothy grin and Jade looked in the direction that Mitchell had run. "She'll have a wonderful funeral, surrounded by her children, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren."

"But Mitchell-"

"Was never going to get to her today. In fact…" Death checked his watch and sighed. "He was supposed to die today." Jade froze up and exchanged a stunned look with Beck. "The minute he passed into that gate with his gun in hand, a driver was going to spot him with it." Death turned his eyes towards Beck, holding his gaze for a minute before looking back at Jade. "Mitchell was going to be struck by a car aimed at him, and while he was lying on the ground, the driver was going to take the gun from him and fire it into him…leaving him with a bullet in the lung, bleeding out on the ground."

"Wow." Beck ran his hand over the back of his neck and looked at Jade. "Damn, you saved a man's life without even realizing it." Jade chuckled softly, feeling an enormous amount of pride swelling within her.

"Sweet."

"Two lives perhaps." Death started to fade again, causing Jade to groan. "You'd think you'd get used to seeing me vanish, dearie."

"I am! I just hate when you do it in the middle of a conversation."

"Too bad." He did a fanciful bow, leaving with a chuckle. "Until next time, Miss West and Oliver."

She hardly cared that he was fading away, her mind was more focused on the possibilities opening up all around for her. "Beck." Beck turned to her, gazing with a proud smile. "I impacted Mitchell's life. If I can change his course, maybe-just maybe I can change Mr. Vega's too."

Beck's smile faded and the color drained from his face. "You're joking? You want to change _David_? How in the hell-"

"I don't know, but Death challenged me to save his life too; and I'm going to do just that. If I can save Mitchell's life, I can save the life of David Vega."

"Wow, that's…" He trailed off, gazing at her with a tiny smile. She looked back at him, pursing her lips and furrowing her brow.

"What is it?"

He chuckled softly and bowed his head. "Nothing. You're amazing, you know that?" Her heart rose up and he lifted his gaze into hers. "Call me selfish if you will, but Heaven doesn't need you yet."

"Well, I'm still here. Just don't let Holly be tempted to pull my cord." Beck blinked twice and she chuckled. "I'm joking."

"I'm serious, I will have them move your body to another hospital if it comes to that."

"I don't think she's going to try anything. She's not even angry at me anymore, is she?"

"Wouldn't know, she seems focused on David right now. I think we all are."

"He _is_ at the center of everything."

"So how are we going to save the devil?"

"Good question…"

* * *

So, what a chapter this was. Jade has truly grown in her power, though it took a good deal out of her. Mitchell has his life, if only for a short while longer on earth. The true test comes, to change the circumstances of David's life for the positive. Can it be done? What's next? Perhaps it's time for Jade to focus on the next easy person of the family: Tori. Will she be that easy? Let us see.


	18. The Writing on the Wall

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 18 (Writing on the Wall)

Jade appeared alongside Courtney at Sherwood, furrowing her brow as the girl watched longingly over two girls walking around the campus. The girls were Cat and Tori, perhaps lamenting over this era of Tori's life. "All I want is for her to be happy," Courtney whispered, "To know that nothing was her fault. Nothing was Trina's fault. She deserves it."

Jade tightened her lips together and rolled her head to the right. "Part of that has to come from her and from Trina. She needs to forgive herself, and she needs Trina to forgive her. Her sister already does, but I'm not sure how much she knows that."

The good news was Cat was already helping, without realizing it. "Why shield this part of your life?" Cat asked. Tori bowed her head momentarily, looking as though she were considering her answer. "Why hide any of this? Why concern yourself with what other people think of you."

"I've always needed approval. I've always needed acceptance. It's just who I am." Tori raised her head, narrowing her eyes while staring at the students on campus. "My sister may have intended well, but my coming out only made people shun me. I couldn't have that."

"You nearly destroyed your sisters life because you blamed her for something that was only a well-intended act. You couldn't control how people react."

"I'm not like you, Cat. I can't just prance around with delusions that people aren't judging my every move." Cat stopped walking and narrowed her eyes. Jade flinched and shook her head slowly, letting out a sigh.

"That hurt," Jade muttered.

Courtney shook her head and let a tear slide down the side of her face. "This isn't like her. She was never so mean."

"People change."

"No. People changed her. So did 'fame'." Courtney scoffed, her voice growing tense and bitter. "She followed Trina to that arts school and became this crazy, spiteful person. I hate it, I hate what you've done to her!" Jade reeled back, seeing a rush of air swirling about Courtney, ruffling her clothes and raising her hair up. "She used to be sweet, she loved animals and life. She was nice and kind, now she's vindictive and cold! People bullied her, and now she's the center of attention and she's become a _diva_."

"No Courtney, you're wrong." Jade remained calm, hoping her voice could soothe the angry spirit within Courtney. Courtney glared at her, her eyes turning white hot with rage.

"Wrong? How am I wrong? I watch her, I see how she treats people, I see how she treats her sister. I know the lies she spreads."

"She's angry, she's hurting. She holds a grudge, but she's still the same girl that you care for."

"No, she's not!" Courtney's voice bellowed and echoed in the air. The ground trembled at her feet and a pulse of energy shot out from the girl, crushing the grass nearby and splintering a small tree near them. "She's a diva who no longer cares about anyone or anything but herself. You changed her, Hollywood Arts changed her! She's not her anymore!"

A loud whimper broke out, cutting the girl off. Jade flinched and turned to see a small dog caught beneath a recently broken tree. "Courtney!" Courtney cried out in horror, throwing her hands over her mouth. Remorse flashed in the girl's eyes and she dropped to her knees. "You see what anger does, Courtney? It's destructive. Whether you mean for it to be or not!"

Jade started to raise her hand, not wanting the poor dog to suffer, but stopped when she heard someone call out in alarm. "Wait…" Her eyes focused on Tori, who was now running for the crying dog. "What have we here?"

"I'm here." Tori knelt beside the puppy and placed a gentle hand under the dog's chin, gazing into its eyes. "You're going to be fine." Courtney settled beside Jade, looking on with a mournful smile.

Cat pulled the tree up with a grunt and pushed it to the side. "How's the dog?" Tori hummed and smoothed her hand along the dog's body.

"Let me see. Gentle pressure." Tori spoke with a soothing voice, applying gentle pressure to the dog's body and hind leg. When she got to the hip, the puppy whined and squirmed. "Poor thing. Might have a broken leg." Tori smiled sadly and scratched behind the dog's ear. "Let's get you to a vet. Cat, help me out."

"Sure."

Jade moved her hands to her hip and looked at Courtney with a knowing smirk. "Does that look like a girl that doesn't care about anything but herself, Courtney?" Courtney bowed her head shamefully and sighed. "I know you're angry and upset, but all isn't lost."

"That's just like her, to run up to an injured animal and want to nurse it. I mean, that's all she ever wanted to be back then…a veterinarian. Do you think she still wants that?"

"Maybe? I don't know for sure what she wants. Maybe she's changed, but maybe she still wants that dream. Is it important to you what she wants?"

"What she wants is everything to me."

"Then be happy if she pursues her dream, no matter what that is." Courtney furrowed her brow and Jade watched as Tori carried the puppy carefully to Cat's car. "Because her dreams are what she wants; and if what she wants is important to you, you'll be happy no matter what she wants."

"Yes."

They followed the girls to the veterinarian's office where Tori seemed focused on the doctor. The puppy was going to be okay, but it was a stray. "Nothing good can come out of a wounded stray," Courtney whispered, "What will you do Tori? Will you leave it?"

"Would the girl you know leave the dog?" Jade knew an injured stray pup would either go to the pound where it would likely be euthanized later or it would be euthanized on the spot. Perhaps it wouldn't come to that, but she didn't know.

"No. She wouldn't."

"Then what are you afraid of? You're afraid HA has changed her too much, you're afraid she's become a diva that's obsessed solely with herself, but she's staring you right in the face and saying she's not."

Courtney smiled and crossed her arms. "You can't play matchmaker with this one and make her happy, just so you know." Jade raised an eyebrow and put her hand to her chest, making a mock gasp.

"Whatever do you mean? Matchmaker? I don't know what you're talking about." She smirked and Courtney laughed.

"I know what you did for her sister, practically pushing her into some guy's arms. It just so happens that having someone that loves her and treats her right, someone that can accept her for her and not harm her, would help make her happy. A relationship isn't a solution though, not for everything."

"I don't think it's even a solution for Trina, but I think it worked out that way. A step in the right direction."

"Yeah well, it's a step in the right direction for Trina. Now what about Tori?"

"You're right. A relationship isn't a fix, it isn't a solution. It wouldn't be a step in any direction for Tori-or even for Mr. and Mrs. Vega. She needs something else…" She watched as Tori coddled the puppy, petting it's head and feeding it a treat. "She needs to be reminded of what it was that makes her happy. She needs open herself up."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I want you to talk to her." Courtney's jaw fell open and her eyes grew large. "I want you to remind her." She wasn't sure it was the answer, or if Courtney would even be able to appear before her.

"I…" Courtney furrowed her brow and looked around the veterinarian's office. The doctor had stepped out for a minute, and Cat had gone to the restroom, leaving Tori alone with the dog. "I think…How?"

Courtney moved across the room. The dog's eyes travelled with her, causing Tori to furrow her brow and look up. "What do you see, girl?" The puppy's ear's perked up and Tori searched the room. "What is it?"

Jade folded her left arm over her stomach, perching her right elbow on the forearm and caressing her chin with her fingers as she watched the teary-eyed ghost pick up a marker. Tori's eyes locked onto the marker and her face started to pale.

"Well, not the sign I had in mind." Jade cocked her head to the right and raised an eyebrow. "But it's something." Courtney started to write on the board, a message for Tori.

 _Never forget who you are, don't forget your dreams, don't let other people affect you. Stay true, my heart…be you…lover_

Tori's eyes were wide as saucers and her body started to shake and tremble. "C-Court? No, it can't be." Tori turned her head away and bit down on her lip. She gazed down at the dog, whose eyes still focused on Courtney as she approached Tori.

Courtney laid a hand on Tori's wrist and leaned in. Tori's eyes closed and tears began to stream down her face as the girl whispered into her ear. "Above all else, be happy with who you are." Tori spoke the words softly as Courtney said them, as though it were a saying between the two girls. Tori opened her eyes partially, gazing down at the curious dog. "Am I happy?"

The door opened and Tori threw her head up with a startled gasp. Cat's eyebrow rose high and her eyes darted about the room. "Did I miss something?" The redhead glanced at the whiteboard and she hummed. "What's with the writing?"

"Don't worry about it." Tori stood suddenly and erased the message as quickly as it had appeared. She wiped her face and cleared her throat. "I'm just thinking about something, that's all."

Courtney walked to Cat and glanced at Jade for a moment. Jade didn't have to guess what the girl was about to do, and she didn't feel like trying to stop her. "What can I say? My medium boyfriend isn't here, so have at it." Courtney nodded and phased into Cat, causing the girl's body to tense up.

"Cat's got a tough spirit, I'm not sure you're going to last long in her body, so make it count."

"Tori," Courtney spoke quickly. Tori crossed her arms and frowned.

"What?"

"Forgive your sister. Forgive yourself. Not for me, but for you…you can't be happy holding a grudge…" Tori jerked her head back, tensing her brow and scoffing.

"Excuse me? Cat, what-"

"I'm not Cat, I'm Courtney." Tori's eyebrow rose and she unfolded her arms.

"Come on."

"You don't have to rely on other people to make you happy. You don't have to depend on other people to accept you. Accept yourself like I accepted you, love yourself like I loved you. You forgot the people who mattered most to you. Like me, like your sister, like our friend Ian."

"Ian…" Tori dropped her head and Jade's eyebrows rose. "I never told you about Ian, Cat. How could you-"

"I'm not Cat." Jade could see Cat's body straining, like Courtney was fighting to try and move the girl's body but couldn't. Cat was resistant, and Courtney was about to be shot out of her.

"This is going to be so awkward for Cat in about three minutes," Jade whispered to herself.

"Remember how he accepted us? Remember how he didn't judge us? Even when he was crushing on you as much as he was, and knew it wasn't going to go anywhere. Remember how supportive he was? There are people in the world like that, like him. People who accept you. That's what Trina was trying to tell you…but you became focused on the bullies, and not the people that accepted you. You became focused on anger, hurting the people that care…you forgot Ian, left him behind at Sherwood. You put a target on your sister's back, hurting and damaging her so much you're so close to losing her. You're not being you, you're not being true to who you are…"

Tori looked to the side and scoffed. "I was doing just fine until the news came out that I was into girls. No one will accept that about me."

"How about the people that really matter? Who _cares_ about strangers? Cat's trying to tell you that now, saying only what Trina and Ian had said so long ago. Tori please…please don't let your anger control you anymore. Please, I just want you to be happy. Tori, please be happy."

Tori sucked in a deep breath of air and narrowed her eyes. After a few seconds, Cat was shaking herself and Courtney appeared beside Jade. "I tried," Courtney whispered shakily. "I tried."

"It was a start. A step in the right direction." Jade smiled gently and Courtney gazed on at Tori.

"Hopefully…I hope you're right."

* * *

So some of Tori's former self shines through, let's hope she heard Courtney's plea. Courtney also may have just handed Jade a key, wouldn't you say? If she can find that old friend, maybe another friend that knows Tori can be helpful


	19. Victoria's Broken Trust

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: own nothing

A/N: This chapter, towards the end, can be triggering for a number of reasons. While it holds a crucial development, as this entire chapter does, take care when getting towards the end (where Tori will visit with Beck)

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Chapter 19 (Victoria's Broken Trust)

Jade followed after Tori, unsure what the girl was up to. She left Cat, and had the puppy with her. "She's visiting her dad," Courtney said from behind. Jade flinched, stunned the girl was still with her. "Maybe she doesn't seem it, but she is closer to her dad than her stepdad."

"You've known that?"

"Yeah." Courtney's brow furrowed and she looked at Jade as though she suffered a case of amnesia. "You forget how close we were."

"I didn't forget. I just didn't think about it." That wasn't so much better, but it I was something. "Hopefully Beck's able to find this Ian guy." Courtney huffed and crossed her arms.

Before the appointment at the veterinarian's office was over, Jade transported to Beck and filled him in on everything. She wanted him to find Ian, introduce him to Andre and Robbie, and proceed to work on a way to smooth over some rough edges. Maybe, if they'd grown enough, they could be reintroduced into Tori's life. Beck had been doing his job of trying to help then out with their problems since Jade decided she couldn't focus on them.

"Must be nice having a medium to do things for you."

"He helps." She shrugged and started to smile. "It's nice having that bridge." Jade looked up just as Gary opened the front door and Tori marched in. The man smiled at her and his eyes fell towards the dog she was cradling like a baby.

"Interesting, Tori, I always thought Trina would be the first to come bringing a baby home." Gary smirked playfully and Tori let out a small chuckle. Jade and Courtney followed them into the house, stepping on the oval shaped rug in front of the couch and recliner.

"I think if Trina came carrying a baby to your house, you'd be hunting down the father." Tori sat on the couch and looked up as Gary walked to his recliner. He picked up a coffee mug and brought it to his smirking lips.

"Maybe. Depends on the circumstance. Jason seems to be a good person. If he's able to take care of her and support her, he may be a good man for her." Gary leaned back slowly and turned his head back, glancing at the doorway to the kitchen. "I finished cooking some stew for dinner if you'd like some."

"Thanks, but I'm not really hungry right now." Tori lowered her chin to the tip of the dog's head and her eyes fell towards the floor. "I found this puppy today, saved it from a tree. It's a stray, doesn't have a home."

"I'm sure your mother would approve of you having a dog." Gary leaned forward to pet the dog. The puppy's tail started wagging and the animal started licking his hand. "David, perhaps not." Tori tensed and shook her head.

"He wouldn't. I was hoping I could leave my new puppy here with you for a while." Gary hummed softly and leaned back. "I'm naming her Courtney, after an old friend of mine." Tori started to choke up and tears welled up in her eyes as her voice broke on the word friend. "I…I've been wanting to talk to you about something. There's so much drama that I wanted to talk to someone not involved in everything, but I don't have anyone. My friends are all kind of…you know, gone…"

"I'm sure they'll be around. They may be going through their own stuff right now as well, hon."

"Well I know Beck is. Still dealing with what he and Jade went through, and Cat says he's trying so hard to help the boys with shit. I can't imagine the shit going through his mind right now." Jade smiled sadly, and turned her head away. She felt bad for having to have Beck do so much, though she was just as grateful for his help.

Tori set the puppy on the couch cushion beside her legs. "I know he harbors a lot of guilt and he's not even talking about it. I'm not sure why, but he doesn't ever seem to want to talk to me anymore." Tori set her hand on her knee and furrowed her brow. "I'm not sure if Trina scared him that one time when she called him out or maybe he's afraid Jade's thinking I'm going to take advantage of her being in a coma or something."

"I'm sure it's not that." Gary pulled his right foot up and set his ankle on his left knee, then lowered his coffee mug with a sigh. "Why don't you talk to him, see what's going on. You need to have some space from all the drama going on at home. You need your friends."

"I guess, but they don't seem like they need me."

"I'm sure they do. You need to remember, not everything is always going to be about you." Tori frowned and turned her head down slightly, before letting out a heavy sigh of defeat. "Take an interest in them."

"You're right Dad, but Cat told me they figured out what I was doing…lying about Trina and stuff." Gary raised his hand to his face, running his finger down his temple. "They might be avoiding me for that. I might deserve that."

"I've often wondered why you did that to your sister." Tori's eyes flew up, a look of shock flashing in her gaze. "I'm observant enough, I know about the bullying and I've talked to teachers that say you're telling people all sorts of stories and rumors about her. What's going on? You know you can talk to me. I would do anything for you and your sister."

"I know. I…" Tori leaned forward, raising her hand to her forehead and heaving forth a heavy sigh. "It's a lot. I-I don't know how to say it."

"Take your time. I'm your father, I love you and I always will. Absolutely nothing can ever change that." Tori lowered her hand and smiled gently. The girl's eyebrows closed together and she dropped her hand further.

Jade held her breath and turned her gaze to Courtney, who was doing the same. "What if it was something-something I really haven't figured out? Something you might not approve of."

"Oh?" Gary smirked and his eyebrow arched upwards. "Did you commit a murder? Am I going to have to help my little girl flee the country?" He winked and extended his hand. "Give me a time and date, I'll get a plane ready." Tori laughed loudly and rocked back.

Jade grinned from ear to ear and wiped her cheek, where she was surprised to feel a tear rolling down.

No! Nothing like that."

"Then what? There's absolutely nothing you could possibly say that would make me stop caring for you."

"Dad, I…" Tori took a deep breath. "I might…I might be gay." Jade gripped her wrist firmly and her eyes shot over to Gary. The man remained calm as ever, his hands were now both resting on the recliner's armrests and he was moving his foot back to the ground. Tori's brow furrowed more and she studied him closely. "Daddy? You're not reacting."

Gary smiled at her and shrugged. "How do you want me to react? We only live near Hollywood, we don't have to act like the actors and portrayals of Hollywood." He smirked and Tori let out a nervous laugh.

"You're okay with that? I mean…" She wiped her eyes and sniffed. "I didn't expect a big blowout, but you don't even seem surprised."

"You know how invested I am in the lives of my family, how watchful I am." Tori's eyes went big and she started to gasp.

"You knew? You knew and didn't say anything?"

"I didn't say anything because you didn't say anything. I wanted to respect your privacy. I didn't know so much as I had my suspicions. Teachers at your old school were telling me you were being harassed by students because you were dating a girl."

"Yeah…" Tori gave a sad chuckle and closed her eyes. "I was. I was angry too, because Trina pushed for me to come out, and when I did, all the bullying happened. So I might have been spinning stories and making her act like a diva…"

"So she would be bullied too?" Gary's expression grew heavy, and there was a sadness in his eyes. "Tori, that's wrong. You do understand that? You should never have been treated the way you were, but by that same token, neither does your sister deserve to be harassed and treated the way she has been."

Tori nodded, understanding the situation it seems. "I'm sorry, I am. I was angry and never thought of the consequences." She clasped her hands together and raised her head up, speaking quickly. "I mean, she never seemed _bothered_ and always told me she was fine."

"Trina doesn't seem the type to talk about something," Jade whispered. Courtney looked at her with a firm nod. "She's more the bottle it up and let no one know something's wrong…" She hadn't forgotten about the suicide attempt that happened years ago, which was mentioned to her.

"Tori, do you remember when your sister was admitted to the hospital a while back, that night your mother couldn't wake her up?" Tori froze and nodded slowly.

"No one would tell me what happened."

"She asked us not to tell you, because it was related to the stress she was dealing with due to all the bullying." He curled a finger over his upper lip and closed his eyes. "Your sister overdosed on painkillers, Victoria." The color drained from Tori's face and her hands began to tremble. "She has told me in the past that she wants to walk away from her family…Tori, you don't realize how profoundly affected she's been. This picking our sister must stop."

This was the talk Jade felt Tori needed, input from her father where she may never have had.

Gary moved over to the couch and sat down beside Tori, letting the puppy climb into his lap. "Now." He placed a hand on her shoulder while Tori kept her teary-eyed expression downcast. "I want you to know, I do not care who you date so long as they are a good person. Be that a guy or a girl, it makes no difference to me…"

"Thanks Dad, it means a lot." She rubbed her nose and looked away. "I mean Cat's right, I don't really know if I like girls for the right reasons." Tori shut her eyes and bit down on her lip. "I mean, I know I like girls. That's known. I do. Romantically. I started when I stopped liking men."

"Okay?"

"I mean as people, not as prospective dates." Gary leaned back, his eyebrows rising. "Trina's been hurt by more men than I have, yet she's the one reminding me constantly that they're not all the same and not all can't be trusted…"

Jade paced to the right, thinking about the words coming from Tori's lips. "I wonder what it is that makes her like that." She caught Courtney's hands balling up and sighed. "Is it really that Danny cheated on her and Trina suffered at the hands of various boyfriends? Can that really be why she hates men so much?"

"No," Courtney answered after several seconds. "There's something more, she's afraid to tell her family about.

"What? Why's she afraid to tell her family?"

"I…" Courtney choked on her breath and turned away. "Haven't you been paying attention? Holly, Trina and Gary are all ferociously protective. Then there's David."

"Seems like there's something about him. He's got a lot of guilt and anger in him…I've actually thought about if Katie's off-the-chart mood swings were affecting him adversely-but I don't know if that's the full case."

"It's not." Jade hummed softly and looked over to see Tori hugging her father closely.

After a while, Tori did visit with Beck at his RV, much to Jade's surprise. The girl contacted him by phone, saying she was worried about him and wanted to talk. He agreed and let her in.

When she entered, she was shocked to see a familiar face. "Ian!" Tori's eyes grew large and she cupped her hands over her mouth. Jade practically flew out the house from the amount of shock coursing through her.

Ian was tall and thin, his hair resembled Beck's-though a lighter brown-and he had a five o'clock shadow. "Hey Tori, long time no see…" Tori's eyes filled with moisture and she looked to Beck for answers.

Beck raised his hands up and hung his head. "I ran into him at one of the colleges I'd been looking up." It wasn't a full lie, but it was more necessary than telling Tori he'd been sniffing around her past. "How are you? What's been going on?"

"Not much. A lot." Tori hooked her fingers together and closed her eyes. "I came to talk to you because I wanted you to know that I _do_ value our friendship. I respect that you've been a force of good, a presence of good for my family since you saved Trina's life all those years back." Beck smiled at her and ran his hand behind his neck.

"Yeah. There's not much I wouldn't do for your family, you know."

"I know, and I appreciate that. I…" Tori opened her eyes partially and glanced sideways. She tucked her purse flap inwards and sighed. "I don't want you to think I'm taking advantage of anything, okay? I just-I just wanted you to know you're one of the few men I trust." Tori chuckled and extended her hand to Ian. "And now apparently you know Ian, who…happens to be one of the other few men that I trust."

"It's good to see you again," Ian replied, "I was wondering why we grew apart. You know, Courtney never stopped thinking about you."

"I bet the students at Sherwood didn't either."

"Oh they shut up eventually. I made sure of it." Ian crossed his arms and swayed to the right, narrowing his eyes. Jade heard Courtney chuckle and turned towards the girl expectantly.

"Ian became student body president not long after Tori left the school. One of the biggest things he did was help the school authorities focus more on anti-discrimination and bullying. Students got into a lot more trouble for harassing another student than they did…Tori would have loved that had she stuck around to see it."

Jade grinned bright, her heart filling with inspiration and awe. "That sounds amazing."

"Oh it was."

They waited around as Tori reconnected with Ian, soon talking to him as though no passage of time took place.

Eventually she got onto the subject of her romantic preferences, telling them what she told Gary and how he reacted. Tori had been happy he was accepting, and even happier that Beck accepted her as well.

Then it came, Ian asked Tori if she had ever told her family about some event that occurred when she was a child. Then, Tori transformed, turning from her relaxed and calm demeanor to the bitter and angry girl that Jade had been seeing as of late.

Ian and Courtney both appeared upset while Beck seemed just as confused as Jade was. "I never did." Tori took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "It was nothing."

"It was not nothing," Courtney whispered.

"It was _not_ nothing," Ian remarked coldly. "It's the very reason you can't trust men."

"I'm getting better. I think." Tori was quick and defensive, pointing at the two of them. "I trust you two. I do! I just…I'm scared how my family will react." Tori frowned, her eyes drifting off to the side and her hand rolling over her shoulder. "Especially with all the drama going on. My step-dad…he wasn't at fault, but he was there. He should have-if mom and dad knew. If Trina knew."

Jade growled and shook her head as her frustration increased. "What the fuck happened?" Beck was seated nearby, his elbow bent out and hand folded tightly over his leg as he leaned forward. His eyes drifted towards Jade and he furrowed his brow.

"Knew what?" Beck leaned back slowly and Tori raised her gaze to him. She was trembling and shaking her head. Beck retained a calm composure, speaking softly as though to comfort her. "Tori, whatever you say here does not leave here, okay? You know I'll keep private whatever you tell me."

"I know. That's what you've done for so long, keeping what happened to Trina quiet. I just…"

"You need to tell someone about it," Ian replied. "We're here for you." Tori sighed and closed her eyes.

"Okay." The girl shook her head and looked up at a shelf hanging on the wall. "My stepdad. When I was five, my stepdad had this friend of his, a close family friend that went way back…" Jade bit down on her lip and felt an enormous amount of fear and uncertainty straining her. "When I was five, there was a night…mom was at work, Trina was at a slumber party. My stepdad had his friend over and was drinking."

Tori's voice grew tense and her breath shook with each word. Jade saw sweat forming on the girl's hands and her forehead, and she had to hold her breath as Tori looked away.

"I was playing with my stuffed bunny at the time. My dad's friend, Leroy, well…I was a child that didn't understand when someone is overly friendly that it's not normal." Beck shut his eyes and moved his hand over his mouth. "For weeks, whenever he was over, he would bring toys and talk to me." Jade's stomach churned with nausea and she fell back against the wall.

"God." She ran her hands over her face and groaned, wishing she could stop listening to this story.

Tori's nostrils flared and she closed her eyes tight. "Leroy didn't drink that night. Instead, he kept putting stuff in my stepdad's drinks, making him drink more until he was passed out and I was in bed."

Beck dropped his hand to his stomach and raised his eyes towards the ceiling. Tori inhaled deep, then shook herself. "Leroy crept in. He put his hand on me, woke me up…told me to keep secret what he was doing." Tori pressed her lips tight and shut the gap between her knees, sliding her hands along her thighs in-between her legs. "I didn't like the way he was touching me, I started crying and telling him I didn't think it was right, he kept telling me to be quiet."

"Was David still asleep on the couch?" Beck's tense voice carried a heavy weight and his eyes filled with a calm type of anger.

"He woke up." Tori wiped her face and looked away. "Too late, but he realized what happened. Yelled at Leroy, got violent and threw him out the door. He never came around again, and he didn't really get much further than touching me but…the damage he did."

Beck exhaled and stood up. Tori followed him with her eyes and furrowed her brow. "Okay," he said with a sigh, "I want you to know, you're a friend and I will always be your friend. I want you to know, if you ever need to talk about something, I'm here for you."

"What about Jade? I know she doesn't like me. I know when she wakes up, she'll just be paranoid and then-"

Beck put his hands on his waist and turned towards Tori. His eyes flickered out to Jade for a moment and she bowed her head shamefully. "Jade will be okay, Tori. She'll be understanding."

"You don't know that."

"Trust me." He walked over to her and knelt beside her, keeping his hands clasped on top of his knee. Tori smiled through her tears and nodded. "You have my support. Andre and Robbie are going through their own stuff, but when things settle for everyone, you'll have their friendship too."

"You don't think they're mad at me? For using them to be mean to Trina?"

"No, they're not."

"I…then why is everyone avoiding me, Beck?"

"Because they can see the tensions in your house, they're giving your family space. They're trying to find themselves. That's all." Tori smiled and reached out for his hand. "Okay?" He placed his hand in hers and smiled reassuringly.

Tori nodded. "O-Okay." She closed her eyes and placed her other hand in Ian's. "You guys will be there for me?"

"If ever you need anything, we will be."

"I can't bring this up with my parents or even Trina. You understand that? Not now, not while things are so tense…"

"You take your time, and when you're ready to make that step, know your friends _will_ be there. Okay? No matter what."

"Thank you Beck. Thank you Ian." Tori breathed in deep and started nodding fervently. "It means a lot…"

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This chapter...We learn a big reason for the way Tori is. She may be right to be afraid of her parents or even Trina going on the attack. We see also a side of Tori's relationship with her dad here as well. What are your thoughts on everything?


	20. Influence of Evil

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: own nothing

A/N:

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Chapter 20 (Influence of Evil)

"Did you know about this?" Jade didn't want to appear accusative and needed to choose her words carefully, but the heaviness in her chest and anger she felt made it difficult. "Katie? Did you?"

Katie frowned and closed her eyes. "It's not an easy subject to talk about, and I didn't really understand it that much." Leroy and what happened to Tori was not only a huge piece of the puzzle, but something Jade should have known already so she could better work with it. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was relevant." Katie threw her head up, stammering. "I-I mean it's important. I just…"

A dark feeling started to surround her, strangling her as she watched Katie tear up. Katie needed to be calm, so it was time to backpedal before something terrible happened. "Katie relax, I'm not mad at you." It was hard to remember the girl's mental state was still that of a child. She didn't understand things like sexual assault or molestation-she just knew they were bad, like murder. "Tori was five, that means you were a ghost back then, a young ghost."

"Yeah, I couldn't do anything because I didn't know what was happening." The girl breathed in sharp and looked at David's study. He had the door open and was hunched over the desk, holding his head in his hands. "Do you think Papa still holds a lot of guilt?"

"I think so." It had to be a major reason he was so distant from the girls. She walked towards the study, listening to David cough. It was a horrible cough that sounded like someone was strangling him, he'd had it for a long time but this was the first time Jade really noticed it. "That cough really is getting bad."

"He's had it for years" Katie walked up behind her. "Even when you weren't a ghost." Jade contemplated it. She didn't know whether it was something to be concerned about or not. "You never noticed it?"

"I did. The first time I ever came here with Beck, David was coughing. I thought it was just a typical cough." David put his hand in front of his mouth, coughing violently and looking up at the ceiling. "He doesn't smoke. He does frequent bars though, so maybe he goes to smoking bars."

"Probably." Katie was calmer now, but the descending darkness remained. Jade eyeballed the girl, studying her carefully until she glanced over. "What?"

"You're not having a mood swing right now are you?"

"No. I'm fine. Why?"

"Nothing…" She closed her hands, listening to David's cough and watching as he held a tissue over his mouth. "I really need to observe David some more. A lot more."

David moved a trembling hand towards a bag of cough drops and removed one, sighing heavily. The man swept his hand across his sweaty brow and started to reach for a glass filled with whiskey. "Nope." Jade swept her hand in the air, forcing the glass to topple and spill just as David touched it.

All of a sudden the dark tension in the air was swept away and David's coughing fit ceased. Jade raised an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips as David stared mournfully at the spilt whiskey.

The relief from the tension was enormous, and once again she had to check Katie for mood swings; but the girl didn't display a change of posture or demeanor. It was as alarming as it was odd.

David stood up and grabbed a dirty rag from his desk. "God," he muttered, "I can't catch a fucking break."

"We're going to stop him from this damn alcoholism." Jade folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. "What do you say we bring him some coffee?" Katie shrugged and turned her head to the coffeemaker. Jade smiled bright as David picked up his glass and carried it to the kitchen. "Here we go…"

She raised her hand and opened up the cabinet door behind David. Carefully, she willed one of the coffee mugs to float out and brought it down beside the coffee. "Now the power of suggestion." Katie raised her eyebrows and smirked as Jade walked up behind David.

She leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "You should drink the coffee, David. No more alcohol." David stiffened and turned his head towards the coffee machine. There was a fresh pot ready to be poured.

He grunted and carefully grabbed the handle of the pot. Jade was amazed with how strong she'd become and wanted to jump and cheer. "I can't believe that worked!" David poured the coffee into the mug and raised it carefully to his trembling lips.

David walked to the living room and towards the window beside the front door. He folded his fingers around the curtain draped over the window and pulled it to the side, gazing out somberly. "Where are they?" His eyelids sank halfway and his frown intensified. "They don't want to be with me anymore, but I can't lose them."

Jade moved alongside him and shook her head. "You don't want to know." Holly and Gary were visiting with their lawyer; it seemed she was now making motions to divorce David. It was a situation that needed to be dealt with delicately, and without David in arms reach; but she was lost as to how to get David far enough away so the divorce could safely be done.

David's expression tensed and the air in the room grew so hot that Jade was beginning to sweat. It seemed like someone was angry, but when Jade looked at Katie once more, she saw no change. Rather, the young girl seemed lost and confused as to what was going on.

The man's grip tightened on the handle of the coffee mug and the liquid began to shake as he grew angrier. "What is this?" Jade raised her eyebrows and hurried for David. "No, no, no, we're making process. Stay calm. Relax."

She put her hand to his shoulder and felt a vicious sting that made her recoil almost immediately. She screamed aloud and grabbed her wrist, causing Katie to run over to her. "What happened? Jade?" She bit down on her lip and spun around, growling and trying to hold back her curses.

"Feels like I just touched a hot stove." She looked at David, concerned and baffled. This wasn't something she'd ever encountered in the past. No living being was capable of body heat this bad, otherwise they'd be dead. "It's like he's running a fever or something."

"He looks absolutely fine." Katie curled a finger over her lip and furrowed her brow. "Aside from the depression." She lowered her hand and shook her head at Jade. "I think you're overreacting…" Jade clenched her teeth and narrowed her eyes.

"I'm not overreacting. I think-" A sudden noise caused her to snap her gaze away from Katie. David was gripping the doorknob firmly. He yanked the door open and started walking out. "Oh shit, where are you going now?"

Katie rushed in front of David and placed her hand on his shoulder. Much to Jade's surprise, the girl didn't pull away or react like she had. "I don't feel any heat at all. I mean, he's normal. He has normal body heat.

"That makes no sense. Stay here, I'm going to tail him and see what's up." Katie nodded slowly and Jade followed David out to his car.

She entered the backseat and looked around, examining the environment. David started up the car and drove out, grumbling angrily. "Is this normal anger? Is Katie somehow influencing you without realizing it?"

That didn't make any sense either, she knew Katie was well aware of her emotions and influences. Hell, it was Katie that taught her to keep her emotions in check.

"I'm going to kill them," David growled. Jade raised her eyebrows and tapped her chin gently. "If they leave me, I'm going to kill them."

"No Dave, you don't want to do that. I _know_ you don't want that. You can't want that. You're protective. Just think of Leroy and how you reacted to him back then." David's thumb drummed the steering wheel and he looked out the window. "David, you're a father. Start acting like one."

The thought occurred that maybe she could get Beck to find a way to get him to counseling. It wouldn't be an easy task. Jade reached for David's shoulder and once again felt an insane amount of body heat that caused her to pull away.

"I can't touch him. I can't enter him. Something is fucking blocking me!" She clenched her fist and grit her teeth. Her heart began racing as David reached for the glove compartment. "What's in there, Dave? What the fuck is in there?"

As he opened it, she saw the flash of a pistol. Her heartbeat pulsed violently and she looked up at the reflection of David's face in the rearview. There were tears in his eyes, the first emotion that betrayed his anger. "David, what's going on with you right now? David…you're not going to shoot anyone, you're not going to."

Death wasn't here, so Jade wasn't sure David would take his own life. "I'm going to stop you one way or another." She breathed in a heavy breath and phased into him, screaming violently at the fire that engulfed her. "Stop this now, David! Stop it!"

All she saw from his mind were clouds of hatred and violence. There was a flicker of emotion that she thought was love. A single sentence was replaying in his brain like a broken record: _I don't want to do this_.

The fire was much too strong to keep her in there for any extended period of time. It wasn't David's soul keeping her out, however, because his spirit was weak and broken down.

Spying a ditch to the left of them and thinking fast, Jade forced him to yank the wheel hard in that direction. Her eyes grew wide and she heard David's scream echo into the air as his car spun out of control and rolled into the ditch.

Everything went dark then and there.

When Jade awoke, she was in a hospital and not sure how she arrived there. "What is going on?" Death walked up alongside her, raising an eyebrow at her. Frightened and unsure, she looked around to try and figure out what happened to David. "Oh I so don't want to see you right now. Where's David? I didn't-"

"He's fine." Death unfolded his hands and extended his right towards a hospital bed. "He's going to be out of it for a few days, but he has his life. I'm not sure what you were doing…you possessed him and forced him off the road."

"Yeah…"

"The instance was so similar to what happened to you that it even put you out of commission for a couple hours."

Beck entered the hospital room, his eyes wide and nervous. "What's going on? The girls texted me that David was in an accident and they can't get over to the hospital yet."

Dumbfounded, Jade shook her head. "I don't know. David was overcome with this wild anger." Death furrowed his brow and looked towards the man. "He had his gun ready and he was going to either kill himself or one of the women."

"Strange, I do not have him or any of the Vega family members on my list today."

"I think Katie may have unwittingly been influencing him, but I'm not sure."

She couldn't help but to wonder if _Death_ was missing something. He may well have been since he could only see events leading to or surrounding death-and those events had to be relatively close.

"There's this fire surrounding him like a shield. When I possessed him, that was all I could feel. I felt the love he had for his family, so I know it exists, but that fire…just touching him was like touching a burning stove."

Beck walked over to David and put a hand on his wrist. He frowned and shook his head. "I don't feel anything, Jade."

"But you're a living person, you shouldn't feel anything. Right?"

"Not exactly," Death grumbled, "He's a medium that can sense the supernatural. "If there were something abnormal like a sensation, he'd feel that." Jade scratched her head and sighed.

"So what is it? Is there something going on that maybe you don't know about?" Death shut his eyes and his mouth twitched with contempt. She knew the man's pride and figured he would be upset if there was anything he didn't see. "You're not all-seeing, you've said that. Is there something going on with David you might not know about?"

"I'm not sure. I know that intense body heat would suggest the influence of a ghost, and the only ghost I know of that's attached to David is Katie." Death crossed his arms and raised his head up. "Are you sure she wasn't having an irrational mood swing?"

"She was calm as fuck when I left her."

Just then, Beck flinched and his eyelids slammed shut. Tension lines stretched over his forehead and he removed his hand from David's body. Jade leaned over, concerned. "Beck? What's going on?" He cleared his throat and shook his head.

"I'm not sure. I just had a very weird thought…" He opened his eyes slowly and looked at Death, breathing heavily. "Hey, uh, I have an odd question." Death raised his eyebrows and tapped his fingertips together, pointing them down at his waist.

"Yes?"

"Can a ghost…kill a ghost? What happens to them?" Jade opened her mouth and turned to Death, stunned by the peculiar question. Death's brow furrowed and he breathed huskily.

"It's obliteration, the destruction of their very soul. It is the greatest sin a ghost can do, it is murder in the afterlife. If you can make sense of it. Only I am allowed to use such a power, and I rarely do. I would prefer banishing them than destroying their soul, I have only ever had to do it once to a ghost resistant to banishment that attempted to destroy me and take my power to destroy the heavens and hell."

Her heart sank as she listened to his explanation and tried to make sense of it. "What is banishment?" She inquired. Obliteration sounded easy enough to understand. It meant a ghost would not cross over, they would cease to exist; they would be gone forever. "Obliteration sounds very much like a ghost is just erased from existence."

"That's exactly what it is." Death took a deep breath and crossed his arms. "And it can only be done by a powerful ghost to a ghost that is not as powerful. If they encounter a ghost that is equal or greater in strength, they cannot destroy that soul…but obliteration is the destruction of the very soul."

Her blood ran cold and she felt chills rushing along her arms. "God." She let out a shaky breath of air and shook her head. "And banishment?"

"You're sentenced to wander the vast and empty outer space for all of eternity. It means you've done something so vile, so despicable that even the underworld rejects you." Jade cocked her head, contemplating the travel of the space.

"That's banishment? I mean you're floating around forever seeing the stars, seeing the planets…"

"I imagine it gets lonely," Beck replied sadly, "I'm sure it gets tiring after a while."

"It does." Death sighed and walked forward. "However, your eyes are blind to the light up there. There's no sun, there's no moon, no stars. If you get close to a planet or an asteroid, you will be violently thrust away…"

Jade grimaced, trying to imagine what sort of horror banishment could be. Rejected from the heavens, rejected from the deepest pits of hell and forced to wander blindly through an infinite black space.

"God it-it's horrible."

"That would be the point, Miss West. Then there's obliteration. It's easy to tell when it happens, the ghost that passes leaves a circle of black ash-scorch marks-behind that never fade from the spot. It's their last mark on the earth, and seen only in the afterlife. It carries the smell of fire and has a very peculiar glow to it."

Jade raised her head and looked at Beck. His hand was on David's wrist and his eyes were closed. "Beck? What's going on?" A tear was flowing from his left eye, and along with that, she noticed tears spilling from David's. "Beck?"

He shushed her, turning his head to the side. "Katie," he whispered, "She's got a mental link to David. Talking to him…telling him to let go of her."

"What?" Jade raised her voice and hurried over, wanting to hear the talk. "I want to hear."

"You can't. I'm not sure why, she's figured out you're blocked and it's not her." Jade furrowed her brow and looked at Death, who seemed just as confused. Death closed his eyes and raised his head towards the skies; a sign he was possibly trying to garner answers from the spirits. "Jade, she's telling David she loves him and that he needs to focus on family, but something's wrong. Something-I don't know what this is. She found something out, but I don't know what."

He opened his eyes and raised his hand back. Jade reached out for him, hesitating at the sadness on his face. "The link broke."

The heart monitor spiked and Jade felt a sharp pain in her chest, as though someone ripped a piece of her heart away. David's eyes opened partially, but he didn't seem to notice Beck standing beside him.

"Katie…" His voice was hushed as tears filled his eyes and poured out. "I'm so, so sorry…"

Jade cupped her hand over her chest and looked around as Death opened his eyes. "Something's wrong," she muttered, "I can feel it. Something is dreadfully wrong."

Death looked at her somberly. "Jade." She shook her head and vanished on the spot, only to appear back at the Vega house.

"Katie!" Jade ran through the living room, searching with her eyes. "Katie, talk to me. Where are you? Katie!" Her heart was racing and she felt a great terror flowing over her. "Katie? Katie where are you?"

A shaky breath fell from her lips as she searched up the stairs. "Why aren't you answering me? You talked to your dad, you made a resolution." Katie most certainly resolved what happened, and David knew he needed to let her go; so maybe she crossed over.

Yet, for her to cross over, Death had to be there. He had to help send her into the light and he wasn't there.

Deep in her soul, she knew what happened. She was terrified of what this meant, and prayed she was wrong.

Panting heavily, Jade stopped in the middle of the hallway directly in between Tori's and Trina's bedroom door. A peculiar scent drifted into her nostrils, as if there were wood burning nearby.

Jade clutched her chest and her throat grew tight. "No." Her body trembled as she turned her head down. She was standing in the center of a large black, ashen circle.

Tears erupted from her eyes and she sank to her knees. "It can't be. No." The circle seemed to smolder with smoke, and there was a faint purple tint. "Oh god." Beck said it sounded like Katie discovered something; but did this discovery cause this? This was unlike anything she'd yet encountered, and it was horrifying.

Her breath drifted away and she clawed at the circle, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Katie!"

* * *

Well. Something terrible happened here. Does something have a hold on David? What is this? There's something that Death himself has missed, and now in order to save David, Jade may have to deal with something she's never dealt with before. What is going on? What do you think this is? How are you feeling after this chapter? Tell all.


	21. Hellish Storm Brewing

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 21 (Hellish Storm Brewing)

Jade wept as she tried in vain to scrub away the marking on the floor. She'd been at it for what felt like an eternity, praying she could get it off though she knew Death stated it would remain in place forever-serving as a grim reminder.

"Katie, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She wiped the tears from her face with her forearm and gasped aloud in an attempt to breathe. "I shouldn't have left you all by yourself. Forgive me." She knew it was no use trying to talk to her. She was gone. Forever. "You should have been in heaven. An angel, a spirit, happy and precious. You didn't deserve this, you didn't deserve it!"

She was going to figure out who murdered her friend, and she was going to do her best to get justice for Katie. Though the girl would never know it, never would she smile down from the heavens, proud her killer was gone.

On her hands and knees, Jade's heavy breaths fell onto the smoky circle and her scrubbing at the floor slowed down. She leaned downwards, pressing her face against the floor and screaming in anguish. Her screams forced the doors in the room to fly open and the entire house to shake.

"Why! Why her? I don't understand." She looked up at the ceiling, glaring through it as a sob trembled in her body. "Tell me. What monster haunts this house? Tell me!"

A hand landed gently on her shoulder, causing her to flinch and turn sharply. Death gazed down at her with a mournful expression. "I'm sorry." He knelt beside her, staring down at the circle and speaking shakily. "I didn't see this, but now I understand. It upsets me that I missed something this important."

Hard as it was to believe her mentor missed something, she had to bite back on the anger within her. "Katie." She sucked in air through her clenched teeth, then blew it back out. "Is gone. Destroyed in the manner that you said before. What is this? What force is in this house?" Death closed his eyes and his lips pressed against each other firmly as his nostrils expanded. "Will you tell me?"

"I consulted the spirits about this matter. It's a grave one. I've seen it many times before, but I still can't imagine I didn't see this." His eyes opened partially and a soft sigh rolled away from his tongue. "They want me to guide you, but they want you to figure out the what for yourself."

"This isn't a game."

"I know, but it seems they expect you to make your own discoveries, come across your own decisions." Death swept his hand through the smolders and clenched his fist, letting ash drip from his hand like sand. Jade watched closely, sniffing and shaking her head.

"Can you at least tell me what I'm up against? Can you give me any clues at all?"

He raised his eyes skyward and grunted. "Yes." Her heart skipped for a second and she quickly asked if Beck were around to hear this. To which, Death lowered his hand and slid his eyes towards Jade. "Beck is a living human. The Vega house is locked and nobody is home. Do you really want to subject him to being in this house when they're not here?"

"Good point…I'll talk to him about this matter later." She sat against the wall near the circle and folded her hands over her lap, staring in bleakness at what was left of her dear friend. "So this thing." She swept her hair behind her ear and kept her gaze fixated on the circle. "This thing I have to save David from, does it threaten just him?" She thought for a second, shaking her head. "No that can't be, it's causing him to destroy his family…and it's not human…is it?"

"I'm afraid not. It's supernatural." She closed her eyes and ran her forearms over her abdomen, gripping firmly at her arms with her fingers. She took a deep breath and held it. "It's controlling him, manipulating him and draining him. It's feeding off his vices, causing him to act out and to do things he normally wouldn't."

"What am I up against, Death? Could whatever did this to Katie do it to me?"

"Possibly. That's why you must be careful. It's dangerous." Death narrowed his eyes. "You've not faced anything like this yet. You've encountered ghosts of different kind, but not this. You've never met one like this." He stroked his fingers along his chin and sighed. "This is a demon without being from hell."

Her heart clenched with fear and unrest settled within her gut as she opened her eyes and turned to him. "How can that be? Don't all demons come from hell?"

"All of Hell's residents are called demons. Devils. Just like all the residents of heaven are spirits or angels; but not all demons are from hell." Jade hummed and turned her eyes to a family photo on the wall. David was smiling bright in the picture, with Holly standing on his left, his hand around her back and on her outside shoulder. Trina stood between them and David's hand rested on her outer shoulder while young Tori stood before Trina, gazing up with a bright smile.

"That's an old photo. They look happy there." She saw something else though, a flash of redness in David's eyes that she'd never seen before. It was strange, since she'd seen the picture a million times before when she was among the living. "That's not redeye." Death turned his gaze upon the photo and frowned.

"It's not. David's haunted, and has been since the sisters were children. He's haunted by a very angry ghost, one that has harbored nothing but hatred and anger; and a lust for revenge." Death rose and put his hand on the smudged glass. "When an angry ghost remains on the earth long enough and the hate that's in their heart is never vanquished-their power and hate only grows until it is all-consuming."

"And they can become demons." The answer came in a short and abrupt voice, as she didn't need him to say whether she was right or wrong. She knew where that was heading. "So why did you not see it? It's killing David isn't it?"

"I see events leading up to a death, assuming those events are in close vicinity and directly causing the death. I didn't see this because there isn't an outcome is directly caused by a ghost."

"Like you saw me killing the guy that was going to kill Gary."

"Right. Every instance of David's death is caused either by himself or someone else. I knew a ghost was influencing him, but I thought it was Katie."

"You think this thing was using Katie as a cover? Hiding behind her?"

"I do."

"Great." Jade looked down the hallway, noticing for the first time dampness on the carpeting. She furrowed her brow and crawled towards one small damp spot. "Wetness." She pressed her hand on the spot and pressed down. "Like footprints. As if…as if this ghost were drowned; yet all I saw and felt was fire. How?"

"Fire and heat is significant with rage. This ghost is angry, and may no longer be a true ghost but a demon, which is also significant with fire. The ghostly features may still remain, however."

"David's a cop. There could be a number of vengeful ghosts that have attached themselves to him."

"There is just one."

"Yeah, but that one…who knows who it is?"

"That's what the spirits are wanting you to figure out for yourself." Death let out a long sigh and shook his head. "They're saying that you need to make a judgment call. You have to figure out if David has been punished enough and if he must be punished any further in life."

"Punished? This thing is punishing him?"

"He's paying for something he did in the past. Yes. I can't tell you what that is."

"I understand." Jade stood up and glanced at the camera on the ceiling. Recalling David's video cameras, she started to suspect she could perhaps see what happened to Katie. Ghosts could likely be seen by supernatural eyes on the camera, so it would help, as much as she didn't want to witness Katie's final moments. "Will you view the security footage with me, Death?"

"As much as I would like to, I cannot. I have an appointment to keep." Jade nodded and moved towards David's study, fearful of being left in a house by herself with a demon. Still, she would have to contend with whatever it was, one way or another.

Using her abilities, she hacked into David's personal computer and accessed the footage of the day. Before seeing what happened, she was aghast by the footage of David in the study earlier.

Something, or someone, was standing behind David and had their hands around his throat. "I didn't see you before? You can hide from other ghosts?" She began to sweat as her body temperature started to rise.

This thing was completely tinted in red and its body was sloshing around as though made of water. As his body sloshed about, water splashed out from his body, creating puddles around his feet.

The minute the whiskey glass toppled over, the demon turned its head and flickered away in a second.

Later, the demon entered David's body when he was gazing out the window, and remained there until Jade touched the man and yanked her hand away. "So that's you. Influencing him, changing him, manipulating him."

He looked bare, his head was bald and she could barely make out any facial features.

She watched Katie moving about the house on her own, and tears swelled in her eyes. "Oh Katie…" In each shot, the demon was near, scowling at her. Katie had an expression of fear on her face that seemed to suggest she was aware of the presence of this thing.

Eventually it stepped into view somewhere around the kitchen, causing Katie to turn towards it. Her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. Jade cupped a hand over her mouth and watched as the demon moved in flashes towards the girl. Katie turned and ran, screaming to be left alone.

He followed her up the stairs and grabbed her by the neck between the sisters' door. "You'll tell no one," spoke the demon in a deep, raspy voice. He stood behind her, his face toward the camera. His right hand was crushing her neck and his left arm wrapped around her waist. "Open a mental link to your father, I'll give you one last chance to tell him what you need."

"Please don't." Katie whimpered and her eyes flooded with tears. "I wasn't going to tell about you because I didn't want to die…" She looked at the camera, as if knowing Jade would see the footage. "J-Jade, I'm sorry."

Tears ran down Jade's face as she leaned forward. Her finger pounded the back of the computer mouse and her entire body started to shake with anguish. "You knew about him, Katie?" She couldn't be angry, not when it seemed Katie had been forced to be quiet.

"I stayed." Katie's voice bore a quiver and her head shook from left to right. "I stayed cause I thought my presence was saving Papa, but it wasn't. Don't let papa die, don't let him destroy everyone."

"Shut up," the creature demanded. Katie whimpered and slammed her eyes shut and appeared to create a mental link. Jade was surprised to see a static-like image of David and Beck standing side by side, with Beck's hand on David's shoulder.

"Katie?" David asked without hesitation. It was amazing to see he could recognize her.

Katie gasped through her tears and the demon snarled and gnashed his teeth. "Papa! Papa, I have to go. I love you, but you have to let me go. You have to be a father to the girls you have even though they're not yours. You can't be consumed by jealousy. Papa I know you're sad, I know you want a child of your own, but in order for that to happen…in order for you to be happy…you have to stop holding on to me! Please Papa, it's for the best."

"Katie…"

"I can't move on because you won't let go. Promise me, tell me you'll let go. Please. Please Papa."

"I...I will."

"Thank you." Katie smiled through her tears and started to sob as the mental link broke. The demon laughed and she threw her head up as if forgetting his presence. "Oh god."

"Delicious. You're ready to move on to the spirit world, but I've caused a bit of a stir haven't I? Death can't help you, he's off seeing about his little protégé. I welcome the distraction." Katie started whimpering as the demon raised his heavy hand to her face. His fingers were long and the veins bulged beneath the surface of his skin like bubbles. "Little Katie, you weren't a threat to me. I had no reason to kill you…"

"Oh god please."

"Then you had to decide you wanted to tell Jade and Death about me."

"They're going to find out anyway." Katie huffed and started hyperventilating as he removed his hand from her face, leaving behind a strange red light. Katie's hyperventilation grew louder and more intense as the light started to fall around her body like a shroud. "No. No, no, please! Please! Stop!"

"When one of David's little girls cries stop, you know I won't listen."

"Please!"

Jade's stomach churned and she fought the urge to look away, watching in horror as her dear friend started to explode. Her eyes filled with anger and her fists clenched tight as the demon turned to face the camera.

A sickening grin twisted across his face and he cocked his head to the right. "I hope you enjoyed the show. Nothing can stop me. I'd like to see anyone try…I'm going to destroy David and his entire family." The demon let out a malicious laugh before spreading out his arms and vanishing.

A few days later, Jade's answer came when David awoke from his coma and was released from the hospital. She followed him to a private dock where he rented a speedboat. She was confused by his action and thought little of it as he drove across the pacific.

"Where are you going?"

The journey was long and silent, and with dawn quickly approaching, Jade could feel herself almost growing seasick from the endless blue waves. He traveled for well over a full day, so Jade had to begin calculating how far he was going.

Based on knots, he averaged between 50 to 80 knots and judging by the amount of time passing, she figured he went at least 2200 to 2500 miles into the pacific until stopping in a tiny, obscure landmass.

This mass was essentially a small open cavern with incredibly deep water. "What is this?" She touched his shoulder, wondering if there was any effect from the demon, but his body temperature seemed normal.

He was gazing down at the water, with narrow eyes. "Fish food," he muttered. "You deserved to die. For what you did."

Her heart stopped and she held her breath as fear began to rise up in her. "Oh god, don't tell me you killed someone."

Death appeared beside her, gazing at the waters with a frown. "It was a murder." Her heart began to sink. "Yet there's grey area. While he regrets it, and he's been paying for it…it's who the one is that the grey area exists."

"I suspect it's that angry ghost."

"Yes." Death folded his arms and Jade found herself transported to the bottom of the sea, where she was amazed to find the water was not affecting her. She looked up, thrilled by all the sea life traveling around and the aura of light far above her.

As much as she wanted to explore, she knew this wasn't the reason Death sent her down there. "In college, David took scuba diving classes." Death appeared before her and pointed to something nearby. Four long chains had been bolted into the rock. "When Tori was five years old, he committed a murder…beating his victim senseless multiple times until he took out his diving suit and came all the way out here."

"Oh god." She could see that someone had been shackled to these chains at one point, but their body was long gone. The tools David must have used to do this were long gone, she was certain. "And his diving suit?"

"Gone. He got rid of everything. He did leave his victim with an oxygen tank, which of course left the victim alive and bleeding for a while."

It was gruesome, and knowing David's rage, it didn't take long for her to figure out who the victim might have been, based on the clues already given.

"Leroy." She breathed softly and pictured the man struggling as he watched David return to the surface. "And no one will ever find the body?"

"Correct."

"Has he ever been reported missing?"

"No. He never had any family to speak of and lived as a vagrant on the street until David met him. He gave Leroy some money and helped him start to get on his feet, but he never did. His only friend was David. He was a despicable man in life too, but David didn't see the signs."

"How despicable?"

"The one family he had was his sister. When he was a teenager, they were orphaned and he looked after her." Death sneered and Jade looked at the shackles. "He was seventeen, she was ten. He took advantage of her and murdered her because he wanted to know 'how it felt' to rape and murder someone…His little sister was an easy target…"

"Wow…"

"He was a juvenile at the time, so the courts didn't sentence him more than twenty years. By the time he got out, he was homeless because he couldn't get a job or make a life for himself. He would often prey on women walking by on the streets, grabbing their butts and whistling at them."

"How did Dave miss that?"

"I think that pissed him off more. He was a regular cop at the time and he couldn't protect Tori from someone that he didn't realize even had a record. So, it would seem Leroy is trying to destroy David's life, his family…evil in life, evil in death."

"Yeah." She looked upwards, gazing as far as she could. She knew what had to be done. "Would it be wrong if I said I have no sympathy for Leroy and say David's already paid for the murder whether he realizes it or not?"

"I can agree to that, I suppose."

"Good. And as for Leroy." She balled up her fists and growled as the words he spoke on the camera came back to taunt her, suggesting that no one would ever stop him. "I'm going to stop him. One way or another."

* * *

Well, we've learned the identity of what Jade's up against. Can she win this fight? Can she save the Vega clan? What is to come? Find out...


	22. Power of the Spiritual

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 22 (Power of the Spiritual)

"So." Jade popped up where Death was, having been able to figure out how to mentally connect and locate him. Death gave her a look as if to ask how what she was doing popping out of nowhere near him. With a smirk, she put her hands behind her head and walked in front of him. "I'm learning the art of surprise."

Death narrowed his eyes and huffed. "What do you need?" The questions on her mind involved an idea she had for David, but she wasn't sure if it was a good plan.

"Are you religious?" She wasn't, and judging by his reaction in the past, Jade doubted the need to ask. Unsurprisingly, Death answered with a snort and turned away. "Or at least spiritual in any way?"

"Is that a serious question, Miss West?" His eyebrow arched and he glanced sideways at her. "And the two are entirely different. One doesn't have to be religious to be spiritual." They proceeded to walk down the street, and Death studied a car travelling twenty miles over the speed limit. "I could classify myself as spiritual, I know there's a higher power at work-obviously. I believe in a karmic universe, but I also believe in fate. Religious, however, I am not. Religious requires me to give a single thought to the religions of Earth and their practices."

This was a unique thought, or at least unique to her. She'd been agnostic most of her life, but she now saw and respected whatever higher force was at work and didn't think there was nothing but blackness after death. "I'm not religious either. At least, I don't know which of the religions are right." Death rolled his eyes, scoffing loudly.

"Religions are man-made, Jade. I understand and respect man's desire to believe in something, to want to believe there's some reward for good deeds done in life and that the bad are punished after death." It sounded confusing, but she was beginning to understand what he was saying. "If it helps their health to pray, feeling they are telling someone their troubles and getting things off their chest…if doing good makes them a better person, then why complain how?"

"So, you're saying religion can be a good thing?"

"It can be. If in the proper time and place for someone's life." He paused, then raised a finger. "Or actually, spirituality is what can be good." Jade hesitated in her step and looked up at him, confused by his correction. "If you're spiritual, it means you have a good heart, you have proper morals and care about your fellow being. You can sit and read whatever religious text, talk to whatever version of the man upstairs that you want without participating in organized religion, and still act with grace and purity."

"Oh, I see what you're saying. Religion has a different purpose?"

"Sort of. If you find the right place, I suppose it can offer a community of people trying to do well. Maybe a community that benefits their community as a whole that can provide also a strengthening of morals."

She stopped along the sidewalk and frowned, watching a group of teens playing basketball near a busy intersection. "So who has it right, Death?" He grunted in reply and Jade folded her hand. "There's a lot of man-made religions, who has it right?"

"None of them, all of them."

She did a double take, opening and closing her mouth like a fish and shaking her head. "I'm afraid you lost me. I don't know what you mean."

"I mean exactly that. All of the religions have bits and pieces of the whole picture, but none of them have it completely correct." Death motioned with a finger, sighing heavily. "Take Buddhism, if there are ghosts crossing into the light, what does that say about resurrection?"

"I don't know." She spun fully towards him, her hair seeming to float in the air. "But what about Heaven and Hell? We call the places that, so could that suggest anything?"

"Many religions of the world call it that, they are most understood by humans as Heaven and Hell…therefore I refer to the Underworld and spirit realm as such. Whether they are the same Heaven and Hell as whatever man-made religion says they are is up for debate." She chewed her lip, pondering her next question.

"Okay." Jade raised her gaze to see an elderly lady crossing the street with a walker. She was feeble and moving slow. With her heart sinking, she turned towards Death. "Death is all around us. It's everywhere. So is life."

"Right. Death gives people about the things they want to do in life, to remind them to live. A full life is much more enjoyable than a life spent doing nothing, wouldn't you agree?"

"Do you think religion, or no, spirituality would aid in someone experiencing a fuller life?"

"It isn't up for me to say. Each person is different, with their own personalities and their own thoughts. Someone can have a full life with a purpose and everything without being spiritual in the slightest, but there are some for whom religion gives them the purpose to enjoy life in its fullest."

He moved his hands behind his back and walked ahead with a weary sigh. "Is something troubling you, Miss West?" She hooked a finger over her lip and shook her head abruptly.

"No. However I am curious, can a demon-or a ghost filled with such hatred and evil enter a church? I know churches are manmade institutions and all, and religion is a manmade organization, but-"

"They still cannot." Her eyebrows rose and Death extended his hand to the side. "Granted they won't explode or anything like the media portrays it but they cannot enter. I'll explain why." They passed a small church on the right and stopped near the door.

It was a non-denominational church and looked like a humble, mid-sized, single story building with white pillars on either side of the front door. Jade studied it closely, smiling as she watched a woman setting up tables for what appeared to be a potluck.

"Churches are powerful places, Miss West, filled with a certain kind of energy and atmosphere which demons or evil ghosts can't stand."

As she understood it, it wasn't the building or the religion itself that kept out evil, but the supernatural spirits and the energy of good that created such a powerful force.

"Let's say, for example, that Leroy tried to come here." Jade nodded, listening carefully to the lesson. She was enjoying this more and more with what was on her mind. "He could not get close without feeling a rush of sickening emotion. He'd be clawing his eyes out in sheer pain."

"What about sinners?"

"Sinners by which religion's definition?" Her mouth fell open and Death flashed a smirk. "Sin has been defined differently, but the common denominator in question is morality. What is right or wrong? Conscience is what guides a person. Does it feel wrong to steal? If it does, that's your conscience telling you that you should not. There are those that lack the conscience or just decide not to listen to it." His eyes drifted towards her. "Am I right, Miss West?"

She bowed her head and sighed, remembering exactly what it was that put her in this situation in the first place. "I'm working on that!"

"Sometimes your conscience, your morals, will be blocked by emotions that blind them to you. Anger, envy, greed, lust, pride, sloth, gluttony… _that_ is one thing that most religions get right." Her eyebrows rose and she started to nod. "Those are the vices that plague humanity most and blind them to what is right or wrong. Sometimes they get you so far off track that you need help getting back, and for some it is these religious organizations that help do just that."

Death crossed his arms firmly and looked at her as if questioning her mind. "Are you trying to figure out a plan for Leroy?"

"Sort of. He's clever, but arrogant. I think he got comfortable, being hidden for so long he's gotten away with a lot, but he revealed himself. He might think he's so powerful that he can't be beat and that might be why he's revealed himself; but it also makes him incredibly arrogant."

"How do you wish to deal with him?"

"I don't know if I can fight him with the Vega's in the line of fire." She tapped her chin and began stroking it. "I think we need to save them first, or at least David." Flicking her eyes out to the church, she lowered her hand slowly. "Far be it from me to recommend anybody go to church to try and save their soul, but in this case…"

Death coughed. "You're going to try and get _David Vega_ to church?" She turned to him, the wheels in her head spinning.

"All this time. For Trina, she only needed one person to help her find some semblance of a way out to a better life. Tori's friends are coming around, there's Ian and Beck; and soon Andre and Robbie can help her. I haven't even started working on Holly, but…"

"But what?"

"I think all Holly needs is exactly what we're doing." Death hummed and Jade began nodding, realizing Holly's biggest thing was the safety and security of her family. If they were happy, she was happy. "She has Gary looking after her. If Trina and Tori can be happy and stay in her life, she might do fine."

"I see how you can arrive at that."

"David's tough. Not only is he struggling with guilt, the fear of losing everything, but he has no purpose and has a demon breathing down his neck. It's going to take a lot more than just one person to save his life." The only problem was that David would an in, something to draw him into making huge lifestyle choice.

Jade dropped her gaze and felt her nerves taking over. "Do you…tell me if you don't think that will work, you don't think it will?"

"Well. To be honest…" He trailed off and turned his gaze towards the church, then with a sigh he snapped his fingers. A rush of air spun around them and they appeared in front of another non-denominational church, only there was something different about it.

It was roughly the same size as the one they'd been at, but the wood looked older and there was a wing of church that looked like it was undergoing construction. "Say hello to Bedford Bible Church." Jade furrowed her brow and moved forward. She could hear music coming from inside, so she followed it and found herself in an empty foyer.

It was a standard church foyer with wooden pews in rows of a room shaped like a diamond. The stage had old worn carpeting and wooden bannisters. "It's old and looks kind of broken. Where are we? And the music…that's a piano."

At the other end of the stage, in a small booth framed by these wooden banisters was a brown piano. A woman, slightly younger than David sat, practicing a hymn. She was tanned and had feathery brown hair that swept away from her jaw.

"What are you showing me?" She knew they were somewhere from Bedford park, an older neighborhood not far from Hollywood Arts.

"When David a child, his family came over from Spain. They were heavily spiritual and were looking for a home. They found this church and attended it for much of his life. He was heavily involved, and it was his choice to stay involved. Until he broke away from it, letting guilt of irregular attendance and 'sins' eat away at him. Eventually he got busy, had his own life to deal with and he stopped going altogether."

"So…he was spiritual?"

"Yes. It's been so long, it wouldn't surprise me if he could get nudged back into coming home." Death clapped his hands once and extended his right. "Now, that woman." Jade furrowed her brow and cocked her head. "Is involved in everything at this church, from playing the hymns to working closely with the youth and helping out with Sunday school."

"Real busy, huh?"

"Yep, she's been a member of this church ever since she was a child. Even better, her name is Amber Banks, and she was a childhood friend of David's." Her eyes opened wide and she let her jaw fall open. "If you want a way out of David's current circumstance and a way in here, she may very well be your best bridge to get him there."

"What's the community like?"

"The people here strangely are about as good as they come. The people in this church are very into helping the neighborhood, they're friendly and welcoming and eager to help one another. Even the pastor, someone David would recognize, is the son of the pastor here when David was a child. So a close knit church body, people connecting to a time in David's life where everything was okay and nothing was wrong. What do you think, Jade?"

"What do I think?" She took a breath and held it as Amber picked up a purse and got up from the piano. "I think this may be the best place for him right now." Jade hurried for Amber, wondering if she could use the power of suggestion to make the woman pay David a visit.

"What are you doing?"

"What's the pastor's name?"

"Ben." Death raised an eyebrow and Jade leaned towards Amber, blowing a breath of air on the woman's face. The woman hesitated and looked from left to right.

Jade whispered into her ear, planting the seed. "I wonder what David Vega is up to these days? Pastor Ben and I should pay him a visit."

Death furrowed his brow and curled his lips into a smirk as Jade whirled around and shot him a prideful expression. "I wonder what David's up to," Amber said aloud, "Pastor Ben and I should pay him a visit. Yeah…"

"You know." Death chuckled and shook his head. "If you really want to make an effort and surround David with enough good energy that Leroy can't interfere, you may as well invite the whole congregation."

"That's not a bad idea! How many people at this church are old enough to remember him?"

"Um…"

"Well?"

There had to be plenty of people who had been there most of their life. Granted a majority of people may have moved away by now, but she was sure there were a few left.

"Ben's wife Sarah, a couple of the deacons. The worship minister knew David, left, and came back some years down the road. Just a few. Why?"

She grinned from ear to ear and looked at Amber. "Leroy, you're about to be phased out for a little while." She was ready for a war, because that's what it was going to take to save David and best Leroy. "Those who knew David would probably be more interested in helping him…"

* * *

Well it's going to take something big to save David, after all, maybe this will be a step in the right direction for him. Leroy won't be happy, that's for sure.


	23. Powerful Alliances

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 23 (Powerful Alliances)

Standing at the bottom of the stairs, Jade felt the urge to let out a mournful howl. The pain she'd felt for Katie's loss was far greater than anything she'd felt, like losing her sister all over again.

Then the demon appeared before her, hissing as his dark eyes seemed to smolder. Jade clenched her fists and began tensing up, bracing herself. "Leroy." Leroy narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to the right, waiting as she studied him. He had no facial hair, his cheeks were sunken and shaded in by his cheekbones, his forehead was heavy and his eyes deep. He had years marked across his face, designating him as older than David was, but she didn't know how much older. "How are you doing, Baldy?"

"Excuse me?" He sneered and flared his nostrils. "You're missing little Katie, aren't you, sweet cheeks?" She scoffed, but remained quiet as he let out a laugh. "I know what you're up to, what you're doing."

"I hate you." She'd be blunt about it. This was her enemy for whom she had a greater resolve to rescue the Vega family from. "You've hurt two of my friends now, and you're hurting David as well. I know your secrets, Leroy."

Leroy growled and rushed towards her, digging his nails into her shoulder and leaning inches from her face. Their eyes remained deadlocked, and Jade raised her own energy to stand her ground. "David murdered me. He destroyed me, and I'll rip his entire world apart." Jade tilted her head, studying the deep, coal black eyes. They were devoid of any reason and emotion other than the purest hatred. "You won't stop me!"

"You shouldn't have revealed yourself, Leroy. I'm growing stronger, we'll defeat you. A ghost, a grim reaper and a medium. You're not going to beat us." The Vega clan were already out of the house for the most part. Beck had been able to convince Tori to stay with Gary while the divorce is still going on, to be there with her mother-as Holly was staying there as well. "You can't attach yourself to anyone but David. Am I right?"

Death had informed her that two ghosts cannot possess the same body without great war and danger to the person they were possessing. She didn't see Leroy that time that she went into David, but the fires and the heat had just been Leroy's influence on the man.

"That's your weakness isn't it? Driven by your anger, you can't roam freely and are restricted to attaching yourself to David. To this house." He faltered for just a moment, his grip on her shoulders loosening. Jade smirked and shrugged her shoulders, causing Leroy's glare to zip back to her. "Thought so."

She pushed her hands forward, striking his chest and letting a blow of supernatural force shove Leroy off of her and through the air. He spread his arms out, screaming as he crashed into the stairwell.

"That was for Katie." Jade walked up the stairs, glaring at her enemy. She raised her hand up, forming a spherical ball of energy. "This one's for Tori." Leroy's eyes focused on the sphere and started to widen. "That's right, I'm advancing on my ghostly abilities, Leroy. Again, you shouldn't have revealed yourself prematurely."

She threw the orb, slinging in into his chest. Leroy threw back his head, letting out a painful yell before vanishing on the spot.

Jade breathed in deep and turned around, scanning the living room. "He's gone to recharge." It was the only answer that made sense. She'd caught him by surprise. At the same time, it would keep him away for a while. "Good."

The front door swung open and David entered the house, wearing a heavy coat and a glum expression. Jade smiled sadly as he walked into the kitchen and prepared a cup of coffee through a Keurig machine.

He took the cup and sat in his recliner, sipping on the cup. "What am I going to do?" He asked. In his other hand he held a certificate. Jade walked up to him, frowning as she studied the paper. "They've left me. They've left me. Everything I've ever worked for…but I saw it coming. Where did I go wrong? What did I do?" He gasped, saliva popping from his lips as tears swelled beneath his eyelids. "How could things have gone so…so terrible?"

"It's not your fault." Jade placed a hand on his shoulder, sighing with relief when she felt normal body temperature. She wasn't worried about Leroy right now, since she sent him away temporarily. It was amazing she had the strength to do it, and since Leroy was actually touching her, she had to wonder if her was trying to wipe her out like he did with Katie. Could he not? Was she that powerful now?

David closed his eyes and leaned back slowly in the recliner. "You'll find your purpose again David, trust me. You'll find that happiness, you'll get away from Leroy. I'll make sure of it. Even if it's the last thing I do, I'm not letting that monster win."

"Leroy." David's eyes opened partially and Jade raised an eyebrow. "I shouldn't have done what I did, but I was so angry. I brought him in my house and I didn't see the signs. Murder…was wrong…"

She leaned forward, whispering. "He's here. He's the reason for everything." David furrowed his brow. Jade glanced to a small book stand next to the recliner. On it was a bible with lettering faded by dust. She raised her left hand and narrowed her eyes, mentally willing the bible to fall off the stand and into David's lap.

David flinched and looked down at the now open bible. "Wha-" His brow furrowed and he gripped the leather edges with trembling fingers. His eyes focused on the page that the bible had opened to upon falling, and he read the first verse he saw _Matthew 12:28_. "But if it is by the spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of god has come upon you." He raised an eyebrow and lifted his head slowly.

Jade felt a strange urge strike her, and a verse came to her mind-though she'd never so much as glanced at a bible before. Finding it strange, she wondered if this was a thought that came from the spirits above.

She made the pages blow over, as though done by the wind, landing on a verse in the _Psalms_. David jerked his head back and focused on _Psalms 130._ Reading it aloud, his voice trembled and a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Out of the depths I cry to you Lord. Lord, hear my voice, let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins…"

David brought his hand over his mouth and hunched forward, closing his eyes and shaking as he started to weep. Jade smiled softly and pat his back. "You're going to be okay, Mr. Vega. I'm going to make sure of it."

"What are you doing?" Leroy's voice bellowed like an air horn on a silent night. Jade twisted her head over as Leroy appeared before, heaving and growling violently. "Leave him alone!" He started moving forward and Jade extended a hand to him, holding her palm outwards.

Leroy stopped and his eyes fell onto her hand with a growl. "You'd do your best not to come any closer," Jade growled back, "I'll send you away again." A dark energy swelled in the room, turning the air hotter.

"This is _my_ domain, bitch, not yours!" Jade recoiled her hand looking all around her and then back to David. He started to raise his head, Leroy's power digging into him.

"No!"

Just then the sound of the doorbell ringing pierced through like a knife, slicing away Leroy's heated force. David set his bible on the end table beside him and moved slowly to the door. Jade saw Leroy freeze up and snarl at the door, his hands balled into fists and his lips pulled away to reveal his bared teeth.

"What's this?" A positive energy started to fill the air, catching Jade off guard. She looked at the door just as it opened and was pleasantly surprised to see Amber standing in place. "Well, well, look who just showed up. What do you think, Leroy?" Leroy hissed as more people came into view.

Behind Amber stood a couple around the same age. A man who was slightly overweight and had short, curly black hair and a round, friendly face. His arm was around the waist of a woman with waist-length brown hair and soft, sun-kissed skin. "I assume Pastor Ben and his wife, Sarah…"

David's eyebrows rose slowly and he stepped back, stammering for a second. "Uh, hello there." As he let Amber and the Pastor's family in, a few more people entered. A tall man with wavy brown hair and a thick moustache who had with him his wife and a baby.

"Amber, Ben, Jared…my god, how long has it been?"

A pure aura seemed to radiate from the baby in the arms of Jared's wife, causing Leroy to scowl and vanish away. Jade smirked and resisted the impulse to cheer in triumph. "Small victories," she whispered aloud, "have to love those."

"Too long," Amber replied with a smile. "I was talking to Ben and Jared, and thought we should come check up on you. I'm sorry we didn't call ahead…"

David's eyes opened wide and he shook his head. "No! It's okay! Please, come in, have a seat!" He hurried to his chair and extended a hand towards the couch. "I uh, I don't have coffee prepared on the pot, but I have a Keurig maker. Or, I can go make a pot for everyone if you like." David started to smile at his old friends, watching as they took their seats.

Amber sat on the side of the couch closest to the recliner while Sarah and Jared's wife, Skye. David looked to Ben and Jared, then rose from his chair. "Guys, if you want to have a seat, I can go grab a couple extra chairs."

"You don't have to," Ben replied, "But thank you." Jade saw Amber's eyes drift to the end table where the divorce papers were. The woman frowned and looked at David sadly.

"Oh Dave…" David glanced at the papers and sighed as the others frowned. "We came at a bad time, didn't we?"

"No you didn't. Truth be told, it's nice to have some guests once in a while."

Amber clasped her hands between her knees and nodded. "How are you holding up these days, David?"

"Truth be told? Not well." He leaned back and grasped the edges of his armrest firmly. "It's been rough these last few years. You know I'm a detective now?" Amber smiled and nodded gently.

"I think I've seen you in the news a couple times, actually."

As the group started to talk and catch up, Jade looked around for Leroy. "Oh Leroy, where did you run off to?" Her eyes fell on the glass doors going out into the backyard and she saw Leroy standing outside of them, snarling viciously. She crossed her arms and smirked at him as he glared at her seemingly ready to rip her apart. "Can't stand the heat, Leroy? I'm the one woman you can't touch, aren't I?"

She looked back, listening to the conversation David was having with his old friends. It seemed Ben had a career as a lawyer once before he left to become a preacher after his father passed away. Sarah worked as a real estate agent.

Jared fared well as well, becoming an engineer. Skye didn't work, but stayed at home with her children. They had three kids, the two eldest were currently in school.

Amber was a teacher at a local high school, had no children of her own. Like David, she'd had a rocky marriage that ended in a nasty divorce; but the woman didn't seem to want to talk about that.

"It was great to catch up." Amber pat David's wrist and a genuine smile formed on her face as he raised his eyes into hers. "Maybe you could come check out the old church? It's kind of going through renovations right now."

"We're building a new wing," Ben said, "Hopefully we can house a larger foyer. We also are trying to fix up some old cracks and stuff."

David seemed uncertain, pulling his gaze from Amber and retracting his arm. "I um, I'm not sure. I haven't gone to church in so long, I don't even know where to start."

"Just start somewhere and go from there," Jared replied, "It'll be nice to have you there. The congregation is supportive too. They're supportive, everyone's a team."

Amber nodded her head and her smile faded just a bit. "When I went through my divorce, they were really supportive. There for me when I needed them, they'll be there for you too."

"Sometimes I wonder if it's too late for me." David exhaled and leaned forward, wringing his hands between his knees and bowing his head. "I don't know if I can even be saved. There's so much going wrong in my life right now…"

"It's never too late, David." Amber looked from him, to Ben, then back. "I have an idea. Maybe you wouldn't mind just coming by and seeing the church? It's not open right now, but I'm sure Ben wouldn't mind opening it up and showing you around?" Ben chuckled and nodded his head.

"Yeah I can unlock the doors and just show you around the place if you'd like. It'll be nice, hanging out like old times."

David smiled bright and nodded. "You know, I think I'd like that." Jade turned her head, glancing sideways towards Leroy, smirking as he put his hands on the glass and screamed out in anger.

"I'm still going to need help," Jade muttered, "Even if Leroy can't touch David at church, he's still able to roam the house freely and I have to find a way to get David out…" Jade looked up to the ceiling with a sigh. "Oh sis, I don't know if I can guard him here at home all the time. If only you could send help to me…"

Leroy seemed to diminish behind the pane of glass, his eyes wide with fear and his trembling hands sliding down the glass. Jade pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow at him. "What is this?"

She sensed something else in the air, something pure and calm. A small, gentle hand curled around hers and she tensed with fear, startled by the touch. "It's okay," squeaked a tiny voice. She turned her head and looked down.

A small child stood beside her, grasping her hand with her left, and holding a stuffed dog by the neck with her right arm. She had a long white dress with a lace trim. The girl had blonde hair sweeping out to her waist, and a braid wrapped around the top of her head. She had milky white skin and gentle blue eyes.

"Who are you little one?" This wasn't a ghost, but a spirit, as far as Jade could sense. She was no older than ten years old. While Jade didn't know who she was, there was a feeling in her gut that told her who this girl could possibly be.

"My name is Cathy. Jasmine sent me to watch over the house when you're not here…" Cathy released her hand and pointed at Leroy, her lips fell into a flat line and her tiny eyebrows arched high. "So he can't enter the house. A ghost cannot hurt a spirit, and an evil ghost can't thrive in a spirit's presence. I can't always be here, since I can remain at limited times before I have to go back up, but I can come as much as I'm needed."

"Thank you, Cathy. I value all the help I can get. Are you sure he can't do anything to you?"

"He won't come near me. He's afraid of me."

"Because you're an angel?"

"No…" Cathy walked towards the glass doors and Leroy began backing away. "Demons and evil ghosts aren't afraid of spirits, they laugh and taunt spirits. Hoping to provoke fights, hoping to drag a spirit down." She placed a hand on the glass pane and looked around the house. "He's not afraid of me because I'm an angel."

"I…think I understand."

"Tell your medium, this home needs to be blessed with holy water and incense. It will dissipate some of the evil that hangs in the air."

"I'm not sure Beck knows how to do that yet, he's learning but he's not a fully skilled medium." Jade nodded. "But I will tell him, he can find someone to teach him."

"Good." Cathy stared through the glass, studying Leroy calmly. Jade watched Leroy cringe and hold his gut, looking as though he were about to hurl. "Have a spiritual person bless the place too, it will weaken him."

"Cathy." Jade's eyebrows curled up in the center and she walked towards the girl. "Why did my sister send _you?_ "

"Because I'm the best chance you have at keeping him away, and…" Cathy turned and looked up at her with a gentle smile. "I volunteered."

"You volunteered? Why?"

"Because. We heard your plea, and-" Cathy bit her lip and turned her head down, narrowing her eyes. After a second, the girl sighed and raised her head.

A pair of glowing wings spread from the child's back, spilling golden light across the room. Leroy shielded his eyes, hissing violently as Jade watched what appeared to be steam rising from his body. An angel flashing their wings was known to be painful for demons and evil beings, so Jade couldn't help but wonder if Cathy had done that in order to cause him pain or to let him know an angel was going to be watching over the place at times; it was possibly both.

"-I can't let my brother harm anyone else."

* * *

Wow, so not only do we learn a bit more about David's old friends and see him forming what will probably be his best allies, Jade may have just gotten her most powerful ally. Ultimate karma for Leroy it seems, if what goes around comes around, it would seem his first victim is geared to guard and help protect his last.

."`


	24. Turning Points

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 24 (Turning Point)

In the passage of a few months, Jade kept a good check on David and the women, and it seemed like things were beginning to look up. David had quickly become her favorite to observe, mainly because she was seeing the biggest change in him.

Leroy was still a threat that hadn't been neutralized yet; but that was due to his staying hidden. When considering her options for where he might be hiding out, she figured it was either being attached to his body or somewhere in the house. David's home didn't have much longer to go before Beck was ready to go through it; his powers as a medium were growing stronger just as Jade's ghostly abilities were.

Death had not informed her on whether or not she prevented the great tragedy of the Vega family just yet; but that was fine because she considered her work unfinished. It was likely the tragedy wasn't going to happen at this point, but she wanted to stay until she was absolutely certain Leroy wasn't a problem anymore. After all, she knew if she got complacent, he could pop up at any time and take over David-thereby undoing all the good that was going on; and she could not allow that.

As for whether or not she could confirm the tragedy as prevented, she could keep an eye on Trina. 'New life' was still said to take place, and she inferred that meant conception and birth. Trina and Jason _had_ been growing a great deal closer; the man had already met and been approved of by Gary and Holly.

"You should see this," Death said as she toured Hollywood Arts with him. There was a concert going down, in which Andre was going to be performing some jazz. "I want you to see what it's like for a ghost to cross over. You saw me have to send a soul to the underworld, but you haven't seen me send one to the spirit realm."

"You're saying someone's ready to cross over?"

"Getting there." Death pointed to a group of thee familiar faces. Ray, Miles and Louis Preston, Andre's father and brothers. She furrowed her brow and looked around to see if Andre were anywhere. "Those three men have been wandering in search of him, and they found him when Taylor Hathaway and her sister did."

She remembered the two sisters that showed up at Andre's apartment. The pair struck up a friendship that grew into something more over time, and Andre himself seemed to flee from his womanizing ways. "I think those girls had a good effect on him." She smiled gently when she spotted Andre walking alongside Taylor.

He was looking down at the trumpet in his hands and laughing at something Taylor was saying. This was the happiest she'd seen Andre in a long time. "I can't believe I'm about to play my dad's song in front of everyone," Andre stated, "You think he'd be proud?"

Taylor looked at the ghostly men and smiled. "I think so." Jade raised an eyebrow and looked at Death, curious if Taylor's family were all mediums. When it came to Beck, he had to suffer near death to see ghosts.

Death caught her inquisitive look and cleared his throat. "Yes she can see spirits. I should probably inform you and Beck that the ability to see and communicate with the supernatural realm carries through your generation. So, all his children, grandchildren and so on will be able to see the supernatural." Her heart dropped and she turned around to see Beck staring at them with a pale expression. Death glanced over his shoulder and smirked. "Well hello there, Mr. Oliver."

Beck groaned and shook his head. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that just now." He crossed his arms as Death flashed a toothy grin. Jade exhaled and moved towards him to see if he needed anything. "I was going to update you on the guys. Robbie and Andre. I think you're kind of aware of Andre's situation already-he actually believes in ghosts." Jade's eyebrows popped up and Beck chuckled. "His girlfriend is to thank for that."

"Great!"

"I guess." Beck scratched at his chin. "Robbie's doing much better too. He isn't carrying around the puppet anymore and has stopped stalking the girls." Jade grinned more, excited to hear the good news. Beck tilted his head a bit and breathed in. "He's become more of a good friend for Tori." He moved his arms behind his back and smiled. "As a matter of fact, Tori's finally trusted everyone enough to tell them about Sherwood and about Courtney."

"That's amazing news." It couldn't get much better, since Tori was getting the help she needed. Now she just had to make sure Holly and David would be okay, and so far she was optimistic. "What about you, Beck?" He hesitated and she smiled gently as he ran his hand over his neck.

"What do you mean? I'm fine."

"Well, I know you've been stressed out. Everything you've been doing I appreciate, but you should take some time to take care of yourself." Beck dropped his hand with a sigh and started to say something, but was cut off by Death.

"She's not wrong. You're at a concert, take a load off and relax." She had a feeling something wasn't right, but didn't want to bother him. It was more important to her that he take some time off. "Or, you could tell us why you're so hurried lately." Jade pursed her lips and Beck dropped his head.

"I guess I've been trying to rush the process." She furrowed her brow as he started to tense and shake. "Jade, your dad is getting more and more depressed." Her eyebrows lifted and he looked her in the eyes. "I've been trying to be there for him, to make him feel better; but he sees you not waking up and it's killing him."

It hurt to see her father suffering like this knowing that he'd already lost his wife and one child, now he was beginning to lose hope his only child would survive. "I…" She stammered and looked from Beck to Death. "What can I say?"

"I don't know how much longer I can keep the man from losing hope. Jade, he's talking about pulling the plug." She gasped out and threw her hands over her mouth. Beck ran his hand over his face and sighed loudly. "I'm just your boyfriend so the hospital doesn't care what I say."

"Okay, okay relax. We're going to resolve this." She extended her hand to Beck's shoulder and he raised his eyes into hers. "We just have to stop Leroy sooner, make sure that great tragedy doesn't happen and ensure the Vegas are not only safe, but happy."

This news was far more depressing and harrowing than she cared for, because now she had to work that much faster. She was confident, if not a tad afraid, that they could do it.

"Jade, I don't-I _can't_ lose you." Beck's eyes filled with tears and he started to reach for her, only to drop his hands as he remembered he couldn't touch her. "I-I just want you back. I'm sure the tragedy won't happen, everyone seems to be on a good track." Jade furrowed her brow and smiled sadly, knowing that tragedy or no, the threat of disaster would always be imminent if they didn't attack and eliminate the source.

"Beck, you know if Leroy continues to pose a threat, then the Vegas will _always_ be at risk. I can't let that happen." Beck groaned again and shuffled his hand through his hair. Jade raised a hand to his chest and searched his eyes for emotion. She understood where she was coming from, and she was afraid; but as much as she wanted to hold him and tell him it was okay, as well as vice versa, she knew what needed to be accomplished had to be done. "If I don't do it, who will?"

"Death?"

"He's already taking time away from his busy schedule just to help guide us with the Vega family." Death nodded and Beck exhaled. Death wasn't in charge of taking care of rogue, angry spirits. His job was simple that required his constant attention: guide newly deceased to their final destination. "People are always dying, they have to cross over and he has to be there. The same for when a ghost is ready to cross over. He can't dedicate his time to stopping evil ghosts."

As classic jazz music filled the air, it distracted Jade from the conversation. The group turned towards the stage and watched as Andre performed merrily. Her eyes drifted over to Ray and the boys, who had looks of pride etched on their faces and tears in their eyes.

"They're ready," Death whispered. Jade nodded and leaned close to Beck as her mentor moved towards the trio. Standing nearby, Taylor Hathaway looked with tears in her eyes. The girl gave a nod, showing she understood what was happening as Death put his hand on Ray's shoulder.

"Boys," Ray said while sliding his arms along the shoulders of his sons. "It's time." A white aura surrounded the three, and a louder jazz orchestra seemed to fill the air, joining in with Andre's music. Jade's heart flickered and a tear fell away from her eyes as Ray took one final look to Taylor. "Take care of Andre, would you?"

The clouds seemed to part, and Jade could make out what seemed to be a woman with light brown skin and chocolate brown hair hovering in the clouds. "Andre's mom," Beck said with a hushed breath of air. The woman extended her arms, beckoning the boys.

Ray and the boys floated into the skies, joining the woman in a tight hug.

Death approached, looking up as the family gazed down at Andre while fading back into the light above. "Andre's finally found his peace. He's let go of his family, so they're able to move on." He folded his arms and smirked as Jade wiped the tears from her face. "I'm sorry, are you getting emotional?"

"I'm not crying. There's just something in my eye." Beck laughed and she playfully struck at his chest. Jade pushed her hair back and breathed in deep. "Is it always like that? With music and everything?"

"Not always, every soul is different. Ray and his family were big on jazz in life, so they see what they loved. A racecar enthusiast might cross into the light driving a car across a finish line, for example."

"Oh…I see."

Jade turned to see Tori in the distance, watching from a food stand. She had a corndog in her hand and was watching Andre closely. Beside her stood Cat and Robbie, munching on turkey legs. Ian was standing by calmly, his arms folded over his chest and his gaze fixated on the stage.

After Andre finished, he made his way towards them with Taylor. "What did you guys think?"

"You did a fantastic job," Tori remarked. "You dedicated that last song to someone? You said you were doing that?"

"Yeah." Jade recognized the last song, the one that played when Ray and the boys crossed over. It was Tommy Dorsey's _I'm Getting Sentimental Over You_. "My dad used to play it all the time, it was one of his favorite songs. I think he was playing it the night he and my mom met."

"Oh?" Andre smiled and looked up at the sky, his eyes started to glaze over and a wistful sigh escaped his lips. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel good. I feel like, I think my dad would be proud."

"He would be, Andre." Tori pat his shoulder and reassured him with a smile and a nod. "I'm sure he, your brothers, your mom…they're all proud of you."

"Thank you. What are you guys up to this weekend?" Beck walked over and Jade followed, curious what Tori would be up to. Moving closer, it was the first she noticed the small familiar puppy laying behind Tori's legs.'

"Actually funny thing. The veterinarian I took my new puppy to liked how I was with the dog. She runs a kennel and wants me to volunteer and maybe work there for a while, and when I go to college, she's interested in giving me an internship!" Tori bounced on her heels and flashed a wide grin.

"Awesome!" Andre clapped and the others nodded their approval. "So you'll be working or volunteering there this weekend?"

"Working. I can volunteer on the weekdays after school, but on the weekends I get to work."

"Can I volunteer?" Andre put an arm around Taylor's shoulders and looked hopefully at Tori. Cat and Robbie quickly chimed in their desire to volunteer at the kennel over the weekend as well. Tori emitted a nervous chuckle and tucked a strand of hair over her ear.

"I suppose so, if you guys really want to."

"Beck?" Jade tapped his shoulder and he grunted softly to let her know he noticed. His eyes didn't avert from the group, as he had become adept at pretending like nothing was going on and focusing on something when a ghost was talking to him. "Does she still hate men? I know that's one of the things upsetting Courtney?"

Beck rolled his head to the right, then to the left. He inhaled and sighed as Taylor glanced over, having heard the question. "Hey Beck, I think your dad's over there." Taylor pointed to a car on the street and Beck furrowed his brow.

"Doesn't look like him. I'll go check." He walked off and Jade thanked Taylor before heading after him. He shook his head slowly. "As far as I know, Tori's coming around to the idea that not all men are shit. Here's the odd thing."

"What?"

"She says she's into girls but she doesn't know what she wants right now, she wants to go on a date with a guy at some point and see if she can actually have a good date with a guy. Then she wants to go on a date with a girl."

"That actually doesn't sound like a bad idea." It was research almost, seeing what she was into for sure and without using prior issues as a bias. "I'm sure if she decides to do that at some point, it'll be okay. At least she's recovering and not lumping every man in the same boat."

"Right."

"I have another question." She needed to know if Leroy had been affecting Tori in some way. Given the history, she was almost certain Leroy could have tried something; but at the same time, Leroy's rage was zeroed in on David and he'd been attached to him. "Do you think Leroy would have done something to Tori?"

"As a ghost?"

"Yeah. Do you think he was affecting her in some way?"

Beck scratched at his chin and furrowed his brow, staring down at the ground for a moment. "Honestly, it's possible that he could have affected every member of that house. You have to remember the dark supernatural energy that is in that place." Jade nodded slowly, knowing how dark energy could make someone feel depressed, angry, and a variety of other dangerous emotions. "Take a look at what's happening to the family members that have been _out_ of that house and away from Leroy."

"Trina's certainly happier. Tori's getting better. Holly isn't as bloodthirsty and wrathful as she was." Jade tapped her chin and paced to the right. "There's a dark cloud of sorts in that house, and since they've been out of that house, they've been away from it."

"Yeah. So, Leroy just by his presence would have been influencing all of them. Trina was depressive, felt like the whole world was against her and no one cared. Tori had been hurt and turned that hurt into anger at the world and those she felt did her harm. Holly was protective and fearful of losing those closest to her, that turned her into this dangerous and deadly force…especially because it enhanced some old wrath and vengeful emotions that had been dormant in her."

"Then there's David."

"He's been getting out of that house more often, that's great. He's been going to his church, helping to rebuild it. In a sense, rebuilding himself."

"That's good. I think I'll go check on him now…"

"Do it. I need to see how these guys are." Beck motioned to the group and Jade gave him a smile. "See you soon?" She nodded and he took a breath, looking with a lingering gaze at her before taking off.

Jade vanished and appeared where David was. He was manning a water booth for a marathon being run for charity. Amber was standing beside him, passing out water bottles and other fluids to runners and bikers. "I don't think I've done anything like this in a long time," David said with a chuckle.

"It's good to get out," Amber replied, "I'm glad you're here." She smiled at him, watching tenderly as he filled the cooler with some ice and fresh bottles of water and Gatorade. "It's been great having you around these last few months."

David rose up, his face turning red. "Thank you. I uh…" He ran his hand over his neck and looked down. "I'm glad to help out. Feels nice, you know, to feel important to someone again."

"You are important. You mean a lot to people, helping out at the church and working with charities. Everyone appreciates you." David flashed a tentative smile that faded for a second.

"I just wish I had been a better person for my family beforehand, before they decided I wasn't worth anything to them anymore."

A familiar voice startled Jade and she turned to see Gary jogging up with Holly. "What was that?" David tensed and turned to meet Gary's gaze. He cleared his throat and reached for a bottle of water. "Dave, how have you been doing?"

"Better Gary, amazingly." David handed Gary the water while Amber handed Holly a bottle of Gatorade. Gary smiled gently and unscrewed the water cap. "How about you? How are the girls?"

"Well Trina's extremely taken with her boyfriend, and Tori seems to be doing much better." David bowed his head and Amber reached over, patting his wrist and giving him a reassuring squeeze. Gary crossed his arms and hummed. "They miss you. You haven't been cut off, Dave. That was your decision."

"I know. I feel like it was for the best, that maybe they didn't want anything to do with me."

"Give them time. Dave, don't forget you _did_ have a hand in raising them."

"I couldn't protect them like you could." David turned partially and Amber furrowed her brow at him, gazing with a new concern for him. "I was only ignorant because I felt guilty. I felt like I let them down."

Holly took a sip of her Gatorade and pulled it away from her lips with a sigh. "You didn't let anybody down David, you made mistakes. Mistakes you're working on, I assume?"

"I'm trying my best."

"Good." Holly looked at Amber for a moment, her lips turning to a slow smile as she turned a gaze back to David. "I expect you to still be a part of their lives, David. You and I are done, I've released you, but the girls still know you as their stepdad. If you're worried about disappointing them, then stay away from them now, you really will let them down."

Amber nodded and David looked at her with an arched eyebrow. "Can't say she's wrong about that. I'm not going to get involved between you and Holly, but I would agree with her…think about those girls."

"I don't want to abandon them, I'm just…afraid of how I'll be taken."

Gary reached over, placing his hand onto David's shoulder. "One day we'll all sit down, the five of us, and just talk. Okay? How does that sound?" David smiled and cleared his throat.

"Good. That sounds good."

Jade practically screamed for joy. She snapped her fingers excitedly and decided to check up on the final member of the family she hadn't seen. She popped up in Jason's apartment, looking around for Trina.

"Well, let's see how you're doing." Jade walked through the halls, surprised she wasn't seeing either of the pair. "Strange, usually I appear next to them or in the same general area-" Her thought was cut off by a scream that made her heart race. "Oh no, what was that?"

It was continual and loud, so she hurried in the general direction to see what was going on. Though, in her gut she felt like she should not move in the direction of the noise.

She heard Trina call Jason's name, then call to God; and before she could stop in her tracks she passed through a wall and into a bedroom. Her jaw fell open and her eyes landed on a moving lump in the bed. Jason was above Trina, the covers over their bodies, and Trina was grasping the sheets firmly. The screams were screams of pleasure. "Oh Jason, don't stop..."

Jade's face went red and she stared at the two in stunned silence. "I uh, well…" Her eyes moved skywards as a strange circular light appeared on the ceiling. From it a beautiful orb began to emerge, falling slowly. Her heart started to rise as realization slowly dawned on her. "Maybe I should give them some privacy, there's nothing wrong here."

She could see the look on Beck's face when she would tell him about this. Popping in on a lovemaking session, he was sure to make fun of her for it.

"I guess the big tragedy has been prevented...Got to make sure Leroy doesn't screw this up."

* * *

Well, what an event to drop in on. Seems things are looking up for everyone. What was that Death prophesized? Conception in the light of tragedy? Looks like we're stuck dealing with Leroy for a bit. What do you think of everything? Would you say everyone, even David, seems to be on a path towards the better?


	25. The Fight

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 25 (The Fight)

"Stop that." Jade crossed her arms as Beck continued to clutch his sides and guffaw. "It isn't funny." She rolled her eyes and sighed as Death leaned in sideways, sliding his finger across his upper lip.

"Actually, it kind of is." She thought back to her initial embarrassed reaction to popping in on Trina and Jason in the middle of sex, having thought something was horribly wrong because she heard Trina screaming. She let out a chuckle and cracked a smile. "See!" Death clapped his hands and Jade swept a strand of hair over her ear. "You're learning to laugh at yourself."

"I can't believe I didn't figure the type of screaming she was doing and just went into panic mode right off the bat." Her tiny smile turned to a broader smirk as her eyes narrowed. "I can say creepily that I was there for conception too…do you think that changes things?" Death leaned back with a hum and Beck silenced, looking over curiously. "What would a baby do in affecting Leroy?"

"I'm not sure that it would do much." There was a certain stigma for unborn babies and the supernatural. Babies were pure, untouched. "This child was made through the love Trina and Jason shared, so evil cannot enter her. It creates a shield that says Leroy cannot influence Trina."

"That's good, except that he's focused on David." At the very least, she could see light at the end of the tunnel. If nothing else brought this family closer together, a revelation that Trina was pregnant just might. "Also, something else about him. I think, not only is he on track to getting better…there seems to be some interest brewing between him and Amber."

"That's something," Beck replied with enthusiasm. Jade smiled and Death nodded, moving his hands behind his back. "I mean hell, maybe there's love for Dave yet. Right?" Death's lips pulled apart to reveal a toothy smile and his eyebrows rose. Seeing this, Jade got the sense he knew more than he was letting on.

"I may not have been completely honest." She furrowed her brow as Death moved forward a few steps. "Yes, Amber and David were childhood friends…"

"Okay? And?"

"They dated in high school." She froze and Beck's jaw fell open. "I have to admit, they were very close, but things changed. David moved away for college and that unhappy marriage Amber was in? She met that husband in her first year of college." Death folded his arms and raised up his shoulders. "How fitting for Fate to bring the two together again, correct?"

"You…" She was so shocked all she could do was stammer. Her hand rose to the side of her head and she blinked multiple times. "You used me?" Beck raised a thumb to the edge of his chin and his right eyebrow lifted up.

"Isn't that what's been happening this whole time, Jade?"

"Shut up Beck." She was amazed and thrilled, as well as no longer surprised to see the potential romance brewing between the pair. "Do you know what this means?" The two men shuffled their feet and looked to her with interest. "This means Leroy's days are numbered."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, love conquers all."

Death raised an eyebrow and Beck blinked twice, staring with a dumbfounded expression. "You know, I was less confused by you when you were obsessed with death and dying." She chuckled softly and started moving down the street with them.

They made their way to the Vega home with sage, incense and everything that was needed to perform a cleansing. Beck was prepared after all his studies, but he was still nervous.

There were no cars in the driveway. "Maybe we need to do this another time." There was hesitation in Beck's voice, but Jade was determined. "I don't want to get in trouble with-" She saw him pale and followed his frozen gaze to the door.

The front door was beginning to open, creaking like something out of a horror movie. "What are you doing here?" Leroy's deep voice boomed from inside and was followed by a dark growl. "Stay away."

Jade rolled her eyes and whisked her hand through the air. "I can do cheap tricks too, Leroy. You don't scare us." Beck was starting to sweat and shake, reminding her that he'd not physically met Leroy before. She put her hands to her hips and hung her head. "Well, I'm not afraid of you, anyway."

Leroy materialized behind her, giving her a start. "You should be." His eyes were like fire and his lips twisted in a vicious snarl. Beck turned his head and opened his eyes wide as the man smirked. "I see you've brought a fresh medium and not a senior medium. Do you think he's a match for my power?"

Leroy raised his arms and the ground started to shake. Beck took a small step back and started to raise some protective gear that he had. With a thunderous howl, Leroy swept his arms forward to release a wave of energy that swept Beck off his feet.

Jade tensed and watched her boyfriend fly into the house, screaming at the top of his lungs as he crashed into the couch. "Shit!" She balled up her fists and stepped between the two. Beck pushed himself up on hands and knees, holding his right shoulder and glaring at the evil being.

The energy in the home felt different, but she couldn't put a finger on it. She looked around, feeling like the entire place could very well be on fire. Sweat trickled down her face and her heart began to pound as the room heated up. "The energy in this house has gotten worse," Death said as he stepped into the house. Leroy twisted his head back, and with a growl, vanished away. Death huffed and shook his head. "He's gone back into hiding…"

Beck pushed himself up, turning his head from side to side. "That might be for the better, but yeah…I don't know if I have enough power to cleanse this." He crossed his arms and turned to Jade, who was just as baffled. "What happened to Cathy watching the house?"

"She doesn't watch it when no one's here, and David is rarely ever here anymore." It was depressive for him, so he wound up purchasing a small apartment near the church. "Leroy is confined to this house, so he must have been able to intensify the negative energy."

"Well it's making me ill." She pursed her lips and looked with concern to her boyfriend. He ran his hand over his brow and closed his eyes. His teeth started to chatter and a groan left his lips. "Physically ill. I feel like I'm going to go insane I stay here any longer."

"Then we need to get out."

"Don't leave just yet," Leroy's voice echoed. Jade leapt in shock and looked around with Death, who seemed unable to track the man. "I've got a gift for you." Death growled and spoke loudly.

"Where are you hiding, Coward?"

"Don't you have a job to do?" Death froze and turned his gaze slowly to Jade. Realizing he had to keep his appointments, lest the freshly dead souls rot, she let out a sigh of defeat and waved him away.

"We got this," Jade remarked. "Don't worry."

"Be careful," Death whispered, "If he is able to hide from _me_ , then he is truly a dangerous threat." She nodded and waited for him to vanish. Once he did, she turned to Beck and grew concerned when she saw him hugging his stomach and doubling over.

"Beck…" She put her hand on his back and her eyebrows closed together. She felt the energy in the room getting heavier and kept her focus on him. "Beck, we need to get you out of here. This is too much."

Just then a screeching noise echoed in the air, catching her off guard. She threw her head up and looked out the door to see a familiar and chilling sight that took her breath away. "It can't be." She cupped her hand over her heart and watched as Samuel Ross emerged from his vehicle and looked at Beck's car.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Ross's voice was loud and mocking. Beck raised his head gently and anger filled his eyes. "Beckett, are you still playing protector? Really? How can you do that when you just caused your girlfriend to go into a coma?"

"Shut up," Beck growled, "What are you doing here?" He ran over to the doorway, gripping the frame on each side with a white-knuckled grip. Ross moved along the sidewalk slowly, smirking wide.

"Oh you know, just following you around and watching you burn." Ross clapped his hands together and scanned the house. "I thought I saw you turn into this neighborhood; so what would the Vegas say to your being here when they're not home?"

Jade started to put her hand on Beck's shoulder. "Beck ignore him, he's just being an asshole." When her fingers touched his shoulder, it was hot to the touch. She yanked her hand back and her eyes grew wide, filling with horror. "No…No!"

"Hope you're ready to have some fun," Leroy said with an evil chuckle. "Care for some popcorn?" She sniffed the air and twisted around sharply, seeing an open pan seated atop a burning stove. Above it, a spilt bottle of oil was pouring into it. "Go ahead Jade, grab some corn from the fridge."

"What the hell are you doing?" She ran for the stove and tried to turn the knobs, but to her horror and dismay, they were stuck in place. She struggled against them and looked at the burning fire under the burners. "Leave it to the Vegas to have a gas stove rather than an electric." She threw her head up, shouting at the top of her lungs. "What's your game, Leroy?"

"I have no game." He appeared behind her, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm going to destroy you, and your meddlesome boyfriend." Leroy stretched out his hand and arm, pointing his palm out at her.

The muscles in her body started to stiffen, forcing her in place. Jade grit her teeth and tilted her head back as waves of pain rolled across her chest. The skin around Leroy's nose creased.

Jade could hear the sounds of another fight breaking out, but couldn't do anything to stop Beck. He and Ross were locked in what seemed to be a fight to the death, fueled by the energy in the house. "You can't win, Leroy." His scowl grew and he began closing his fingers together, causing a crushing sensation that made her scream.

Beck slammed Ross behind them, pressing him against the stove. Jade's eyes widened and she tried to call out to them, but her lungs were burning and she could hardly speak from the pain.

Ross grabbed the pot full of oil and stared at Beck with a smirk. "Gift for you, Beckett." Beck ducked in time to miss being hit by the pot, but some of the oil splashed out on his back and on the stove. The burning fire caught the oil on the stove and counter, but the two men failed to notice.

Jade screamed in vain once more, mustering all her strength to break Leroy's hold on her. The killer growled back at her, balling his hand into a trembling fist. "Why won't you die?" With two blinks, she turned her gaze back to him and remembered the power struggle that could prevent one ghost from wiping out another.

"Because…" She smirked and raised her eyebrows, astonished with the confirmation that she was now powerful enough that Leroy couldn't obliterate her. "As strong as you are, I'm stronger." He narrowed his eyes and she fought through the pain, moving her arms and legs slowly to the center of her body. "Release me."

She swung her limbs out with a shout, and Leroy stumbled backwards. She rushed for him, swinging her fist into his chest. He sprang to the side and brought his arms up into a fighter stance. "You don't want to focus on the fire that's beginning to spread?"

The smell was overwhelming, and Jade knew it was a priority to stop it, but she couldn't let Leroy get away either. "You know what happens if it burns, Leroy?" She smirked at him, her confidence making him hesitate. "You've got two places you're confined to. This house, and your remains at the bottom of the ocean. This house gets destroyed, then you're stuck somewhere in the Pacific."

He froze, his expression turning to horror. Jade wasn't sure if she was entirely correct; but if he believed her words, that was all that mattered. "You're lying."

"Am I?"

"I…"

"Can you really take that chance?" Leroy glared at her, seething and breathing heavily.

"Fuck it." He swept past her, rolling his arms forward and dispersing the flames. Before he could do much else, a bright golden light appeared in the room. A pure energy swept over the area like a tidal wave. Beck and Ross stopped their fighting, which left Ross confused as Beck stared in awe at the angel that appeared before them.

Leroy glared over his shoulder, steam rising from his body. "Cathy," he said with a virulent growl. Cathy turned her head to the left, then to the right. The girl let out a soft hum and walked slowly towards Leroy. "You're the reason aren't you?" He turned to her, hissing like a cat backed into a corner. "That David hasn't been here."

"It is true." Cathy's wings began to expand, causing Leroy to shield his eyes with his arm. "I put the thought in his head to move. To sell the home. He will never return to this place."

Jade looked at Beck, seeing that she needed to get him out of the house. "Beck, we need to go." Beck was still in awe of Cathy's presence and wasn't responding to her. "Beck, now, please." He looked from Cathy to Leroy, tears welling up in his eyes.

"It's amazing," he whispered, "I'm seeing an angel and a demon." Worried about his presence and if David could view cameras, she looked around to see where the security cams were.

To her shock, they were missing. "Where are the cameras?" Leroy sneered at her and spoke out with a tone that seemed to suggest the answer were obvious.

"He had them taken out. Gary and David uninstalled all cameras when he moved out, because there was no more need for them." He sprang up on his feet and with a powerful roar, rushed for Cathy. His arms were outstretched and his fingers seemed to resemble piercing claws. "Die!"

Cathy remained nonchalant and stoic; the young child looked like a powerful warrior staring across a battlefield. Her wings closed around her body, creating a shield that burned Leroy's hands. He reeled back with a painful howl, clutching his left wrist.

When she opened her wings up, Jade saw that the stuffed animal she carried had been changed into a long blade. Her eyebrows furrowed and she found herself frozen in awe. "When a ghost has been cut by a spirit's sword, the effects will remain." Cathy moved forward, holding the sword across her chest and resting upon her left shoulder. "Come, Brother."

Sensing a dangerous fight about to break out, Jade quickly phased into Beck. He had a strong spirit inside of him, so possession was going to be difficult. "Forgive me Beck, but I _have_ to get you out of here." She felt his soul fighting back almost instantly, but to her surprise it wasn't as strong as it should have been. Likely, the effects of Leroy's negative energy weakened him a bit. "I'm sorry I got you into this…"

She ran from the house, hearing Leroy's piercing scream as Cathy sliced his right arm off at the shoulder. When she looked back into the house, she saw Cathy thrust her sword deep into Leroy's groin. She flinched at the sight and turned away, cringing while Leroy cried out in anguish.

"That looked painful." She smirked and shook her head. "I have to ask Death if Spirits can feel all the emotions that we feel." Still running down the road, it wasn't long before Beck's soul evicted her from his body. He looked at her, angry but with some understanding.

"Didn't we talk about the whole possession thing? I'm off limits, it feels weird!" She chuckled nervously and tried to give him a hug, which failed.

"I'm sorry." She sighed with defeat and bowed her head. "I had to protect you. I wasn't sure what was going to happen." He smiled back at her, his eyes growing tender and is expression soft.

"It's okay. Thanks for that."

Death appeared next to them and looked in the distance towards the Vega home. "What in the hell did I miss? I had three people that needed to cross over urgently."

"It got bad," Jade replied. She turned to him, ready to explain everything, but still with questions in her mind. "What happens exactly if you miss an appointment? Don't they just become ghosts?"

"Their soul becomes damaged, corrupted and they are no longer themselves." He cross his arms and sighed. "The soul only leaves the body if a grim reaper touches them and frees the soul. If someone dies and isn't released, the body becomes a prison. It's really more horrible than that, but at the moment I'm more interested in knowing what the hell just happened down there."

"Well, Leroy is now a dickless wonder…" Death raised an eyebrow and Beck coughed. "Curtesy of Cathy and her spirit sword." Death winced and sighed. "Now um, Leroy tried to start a fire hoping that Beck would be so trapped by rage that the smoke would kill him. He tried to obliterate me, but I'm more powerful." She grinned and felt her heart rise when a look of pride shone over Death's face.

"Is he still there? I would like to dispose of him posthaste."

"We can see." Jade instructed Beck to stay put as she didn't want to risk him getting hurt again, then moved with her mentor back to the Vega home.

This time there was a different energy present. She could still feel Leroy's energy, but it was faint and almost unnoticeable where a pure energy covered it. He was gone and Cathy stood in the center of the living room, holding her stuffed animal once more in her arms and burying her chin into it.

"Cathy?" Jade stretched her arm out and Cathy's head rose. "Where's Leroy?"

"He fled. I'm cleansing the house little by little, but I truly cannot continue to travel here. That means he can fill the house with negative energy as much as he wants…you may have to allow the home to be destroyed at that rate."

"What? Why?"

Death grunted, curling a finger over his chin. "She's not wrong. David's going to sell the home to someone, but if Leroy still exists or his negative energy remains, it's going to affect whoever lives in that house."

"You saw that with Beck and Ross," Cathy remarked. "Whosever enters this house can be consumed if not careful…" Her gut began to twist as she thought about how badly the next family to live here could be. Now it was not a matter of protecting the Vega clan, but saving another entire family from Leroy's evil.

Jade took a slow and deep breath, then set a gentle hand on Cathy's shoulder. She knelt down to eye level and smiled gently at the young girl. "Are you okay?" Cathy smiled back at her and nodded gently. "Seeing Leroy like that…are spirits able to feel the same emotions we do?"

Death lowered his hand and Cathy nodded again. "We can and we do. We have more control over our emotions though. When we come to earth, that control isn't as strong."

Cathy sighed and looked up to Death, who moved his hands behind his back. "I was the one that helped her cross over." Jade looked up to the man and he closed his eyes. "Cathy was a tragic ghost. Filled with grief, anger and shock. She didn't realize she was dead at first, because her death came so suddenly, so horrific and of course the shock of who it was that hurt her."

This would have had to mean Cathy didn't cross over at the very start, she would have been frozen in place and left to relieve her final minutes without any help from anyone. "Usually a medium is the best bet to help a ghost cross over, but there wasn't any in the area. My job is a simple, possibly cruel one. If a ghost refuses to cross over at first, I leave it there. My priority is to move a soul over, not to play counselor."

"Cathy was different for you?" Jade smiled gently and wondered now if there was some reason for Death's generosity. Perhaps he had been alive at one point long ago, perhaps something about Cathy's situation touched him because of something he went through in life. "Care to discuss?"

"No." Death walked past her and she frowned at him. "Cathy, thank you for your help today, but I'm sure you must be getting back." Cathy nodded and looked over to Jade.

"Be careful Jade, and send Leroy away soon. Before he can hurt anyone else again."

"I'll do my best, Cathy."

* * *

Talk about a close fight. Do you think destroying the home is the answer? What about Leroy? It seems Jade may be stronger than he is. For now, the Vega clan is safe so long as they stay away from the house, but there's always a risk as long as Leroy walks. What are your thoughts?


	26. The Medium's Power

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: own nothing

A/N: Another long one, but I felt like I had to get it out to you today. Beck shines here obviously, we're going to see just how helpful he can be, and with another surprise

* * *

Chapter 26 (The Medium's Power)

"Why exactly do I have to be here?" Beck muttered. He crossed his arms and leaned his back against Gary's kitchen table. He was seated with the chair sideways and his left ankle was resting on the right knee. Beside him was Jason, shrugging at him.

"They apparently look at you like a part of the family. Besides, both of us should be here in case anything happens." Jason looked around the room, his brow furrowing. "Um, where is, you know?" Beck raised an eyebrow and turned his head sideways. "Is your girlfriend around? Trina was kind of freaked by that whole experience a while back."

"Jade will probably pop up eventually." He was used to Jade's random appearances now, so she couldn't pop up and scare him anymore. "Did you guys believe in ghosts before, or no?"

"Trina tells me she's always believed in them." Jason chuckled softly, closing his eyes and raising his shoulders. "She hasn't forgotten about the whole balancing accident back at her old house, and swears to this day that a ghost had to have tripped her." Beck smirked with pride and looked away so as not to give it up that he and Jade were responsible for that. "She swears she has never tripped on anything, but I think she's playing tough."

"Probably."

"But yes, she feels like someone has always been around." Beck hummed for a minute, watching Gary and Holly in the other room, arranging the chairs in the living room to accommodate the entire family. "She told me about the time Marcus tried to sneak into her bedroom at the house." Jason's right hand started to ball up, so Beck turned to him to listen and make sure he didn't get too upset. He knew how it felt to talk about the people that caused a great deal of pain for someone close to the heart. "She told me there was a force that she couldn't explain that pushed that creep out of the window. Then what happened outside that apartment…"

"Yeah. There are people who are more sensitive to the other side."

"Like a medium? Like you?"

"Well, not exactly." Jason leaned forward, tapping his fingertips together. Beck took a breath and tried to think of how to explain. Everyone was different, and some had more connections to the supernatural than others. The teacher that had taught him about mediums would explain these people as having a sensory impulse. "When something happens to you, and you come close to death but survive, you are connected directly to the supernatural. You can see ghosts that walk the earth, spirits from above and the demons from below…direct communication makes you a full medium."

"Which is you?"

"Yeah. Then there are some who can't directly see or communicate with the afterlife, but they can feel them. If they listen hard enough, they might be able to even hear. Those people have an extra sensory impulse that they could have either been born with, or some great tragedy gifted them with this connection. A tragedy that, maybe they didn't die from and come back to life, but they came extremely close to death…"

"Ah, I see." Jason ran his hand over his head and exhaled. "Complicated stuff."

"It really is. I'm not even sure I have everything down." He leaned his head back slowly and closed his eyes. "You don't want that gift either. To be honest, you can't even accurately call it a gift. People think it's a good thing, like communicating and seeing the dead is supposed to be good, but it's not. In some ways it isn't, some ways it is."

"How so?"

"Have you ever seen the show, _Ghost Whisperer_?" Beck opened one eye and saw Jason nod. "You know how the ghosts would always surround her, when they know she can see them, and beg for her to help them get some message out to someone so they can cross over?"

"Yeah."

Beck unfolded his legs and swayed to the right a bit. "It is just like that. I've got ghosts telling me where 'Jenny can find the deed to the house', or where 'Jack can find the lost apology letter'." He smiled sadly and looked up to the ceiling. "It's not all bad, for all that I might complain. I only do that because it's a lot."

"One of those things where you can't help everyone."

"Right." He did feel good when he helped someone move on, and had already done so multiple times; but the ones he couldn't save troubled him the most. "I'm still learning, I'm having to use judgment and help with who I can." He tapped his chest, smirking with pride. "I'm the one that sent a letter to Taylor Hathaway, telling her about Andre's family."

"Ah."

"Then there was this singer. I don't know if you recognize 'Hannah Montana' from years ago-I'm not really into pop music."

"Me either. I recognize the name, but that's about it. I'm more of a classic rock kind of guy."

"Yeah, well she was taking a private jet to a concert one day back in 2013 and it got caught in a storm, crashing in the pacific not far from here." Beck let out a sigh and his forehead tensed. "She found me and wanted me to get a message out to her older brother. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry, that she let fame get to her head and just lost touch with her family. She skipped so many major and important events for them, and he didn't even go to her funeral when she died."

"Ouch…"

"Yeah. Ouch." It got so bad that Jackson had changed everything about his life. He changed his name, moved up north to Pennsylvania where he opened up some karate studio in some mall. "She wanted him to forgive her."

Jason leaned forward, intrigued and curious. "Did he?" Beck smiled more and nodded his head. It was a tricky shot, but evidently the reason the singer found Beck was because Jackson had brought his students to a karate competition in town.

"He was prideful, did not want to discuss a damn thing, and was completely closed off. However, he listened when that singer told me to hit him with something that only the two of them shared." When he finally got Jackson to listen, seeing the tears in the man's eyes and witnessing him finally forgiving his little sister moved had touched Beck so deeply that he would have loved to help people even more. "She was actually the first ghost I helped to cross over…When he forgave her and crossed, it was such a beautiful moment."

"So this is something you'd like to do more of?"

"I guess so." Beck looked out the window nearby, watching as ghosts walked down the street. "It's also nice seeing the backstory. Except, sometimes there are ghosts stuck here that have been here for hundreds of years and I don't know how or if I can even help them."

"Like ghosts from the sixteen hundreds?"

"Yeah. I've seen Indians that died in combat, I've seen accused witches burnt at stake. I'm not sure if these ghosts know they're dead, or maybe they do and they want revenge…could be anything. You just kind of have to know how to talk to them and get it out of them."

"What's the oldest ghost you've ever helped across?"

Beck hummed, trying to think. He hadn't been at it for very long, so it wasn't like he'd already helped hundreds along. It was more like two dozen. He snapped his fingers after a moment. "It was a woman that died in 1876. Her lover murdered her and stashed away the deed of her home so no one could find it when he took ownership away from the woman's family."

"Wow."

"Right, she was angry because her family home was passed through the generations of a murderer. Eventually, I found her descendant and was able to locate the hidden deed along with some note that tied the lover to her murder. The family that owned the house, surprisingly, turned it over and went on their way…"

"Good of them to do."

It wasn't the full story, but Beck didn't want to go into full detail. The woman's body had been buried on the land, in which a concrete patio had been placed over it. Beck had to convince Gary, of all reasons, that there was probable and reasonable cause to dig up a woman that had been missing since 1876. Granted, the note the ex-lover left along with the deed telling where the body was, was reasonable cause enough.

Beck turned his head when he felt a strange sensation in the room, and was stunned to see some white particles dancing in the air. "Hold on…" He'd not seen this before. Beside him, Courtney appeared gawking at the particles. "Okay. Jason?"

"What?"

"Could you go help Gary, Holly and David set up?" Jason pat his knees and stood up with a nod, understanding there was something going on that only Beck could see. Once he was gone, Beck rose from the chair and glanced sideways at Courtney. "Courtney, what is this? What's happening here?"

"Something so rare that it's almost never done. Done only in special cases. I think, I think the spirits above think you're the best fit for this job."

"Please don't be vague." Beck reached his hand forward to touch the strange particles. They tickled his hand and filled him with a strange, joyous sensation. "Courtney. Talk to me."

"There is talk among the ghosts that Cathy and Jasmine are entering a plea with the spirits and reaching out to the only omniscient being capable of creation to do this…Katie is being brought back into existence." Beck felt his heart skyrocket and he pulled his hand back in surprise. "Under the condition that she cross over within the next few hours."

"Holy-"

"Careful." He rolled his eyes and watched the particles bind together, and with a flash of light, Katie was heard gasping for air. Katie grabbed her throat and looked around with tears in her eyes. "Katie!" Courtney raced forward, throwing her arms around the stunned girl.

"What happened?" Katie wiped her eyes and looked around. "I-I don't know what happened. Where's Leroy? He was killing me."

"It's okay." Beck stepped forward and smiled tearfully at the girl. "I don't exactly understand how this happened, or why. Maybe Jade had something to do with it."

"Huh?"

"You were gone, Katie." The girl froze, her eyes growing large. "You were obliterated. Jade was devastated."

"That's why," Courtney replied. Beck hummed and Katie still looked confused. "Jade was so crushed that I think the spirits decided to reward her current efforts by petitioning the gods to bring her back. Unfortunately, I think there's a downside…I don't know if she'll be wiped away if she doesn't cross over in time, or if she'll change-like turning into what Leroy is."

"Okay, I got it." He knew what had to be done, and he had a good feeling that he could get _both_ of the girls to cross over. "I think I can get both of you to be satisfied _today_." The girls looked at him with bewilderment and he pointed to the living room. "There's about to be a family meeting. For the first time, all the Vegas under one roof."

"I don't think that's a first…"

"You know what I mean." He knew now why he was here, and he was going to save Katie as well as aid Courtney. Both girls wanted to see the family happy, to know that they would be okay. This meeting was exactly what needed to happen for them to feel comfortable in knowing everything would be fine. "Come with me."

It wasn't long before the house was full. Tori had come with Ian, Andre, Robbie and Cat. Trina was there, looking nervous as hell about something. Beck was almost certain about what that something was, considering enough weeks had passed for her to potentially realize she was pregnant.

Even Amber had come, because David asked her to be there.

"Wow, I've never seen so many people in one house," Katie remarked with awe. Everyone was positioned in a circle around the living room, which was a good touch. Beck wanted to ensure proper control over the situation, and fortunately there was enough positive energy that Leroy couldn't attach himself to David and sneak in.

He stepped in the circle, holding up a hand and attracting everyone's attention. "So I was thinking, we put the past behind and talk like a family on neutral and calm ground. If everyone could just take turns and, well…" He picked up a long object from the coffee table. It was a fancy wooden walking stick that Gary hadn't put away. It was a souvenir that Gary purchased from a gift shop on some hiking trail-he'd forgotten to put it away. "I know it's old and cliché, but why don't we use this to take turns talking?"

"That's not a bad idea," Gary replied. He stroked his chin and tilted his head. "Maybe the person with the stick has the floor, but let's not fight over it. It can be a symbol of a topical issue, and everyone can address or focus on that person one at a time."

David smiled gently and nodded his head. "I agree, but I don't think we're going to need that necessarily. I feel like we've all been working on our own things and can talk to one another on a civil level."

Beck accepted this, and when he looked at the girls, he saw Katie and Courtney both smiling bright. "David, could you go first?" David gasped out as Beck extended the walking stick towards him. In the corner of his eye, he saw Trina bite her lip and fold her hands over in her lap. "Or, would you like to go first, Tri?"

He knew there were levels of priority here, and possibly telling the family she was pregnant would be the top priority. Trina looked sideways at Jason and took a deep breath. "No. Not yet." Jason furrowed his brow and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked. She nodded and put her head on his shoulder. Beck was almost certain Jason had no idea what she was going to say. It was going to take a lot of effort, and Trina was probably scared enough that her family wouldn't be getting along enough to be ready for a baby.

Andre raised his hand and set it on the stick. "Actually, if it's okay, we would like to go first." Beck raised an eyebrow and the others stared at him with uncertainty. Gary nodded to allow it, so Beck sat back down and let Andre rise to speak. "Robbie, Cat and I wanted to say this to all of you…"

He looked at Tori with a smile, then Trina and finally rested his gaze on Holly. "We're sorry." Holly's eyebrows rose and the Vega sisters smiled back at him. "From the bottom of our hearts, we know we've made a mess of things and we want you to know we regret how we've treated your family."

"It's okay," Tori answered, "A lot of it was my fault. You didn't realize…" Andre extended the stick to Tori and she took it gracefully. "I think I speak for my family when I say we don't hold it against you anymore. Right?" She glanced at her mother, who after a few minutes let out a long sigh and agreed. Tori turned to her mother, looking her in the eyes. "Mom, they've become better friends in the last few months. I trust them and they haven't hurt me or even said anything bad about Trina. _I_ haven't done so either…"

"I'm amazed," Trina muttered. Tori closed her eyes and sucked in a huge breath of air.

"Trina, I'm sorry." Tori looked at her sister and walked over, kneeling in front of her. Tears filled Tori's eyes as she placed a hand over Trina's. "I'm so sorry that I did the things I did to you. I was hurt, scared and angry. I didn't even…I didn't think about your feelings."

"I would do _anything_ for you, Tori. You know that."

"I know, and I love you. I-I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to push you away, and I don't want to lose you. I'm scared I'm going to lose you and make you hate me."

"I love you too." Trina hugged her sister tight and Tori started to cry on her shoulder. "You're never going to lose me, Tori. Never."

"Good. I'm glad." Tori wiped her face, whisking away her tears as she rose up. "I have something else to say." Her hands tightened around the stick and she turned around. Beck grinned and looked over to Courtney, who was leaning forward and staring with great intrigue. "I-I never knew how to bring this up, because I was scared of how any of you would react, but…I'm happy now. I trust all of you, and I think I can talk about this."

Gary smiled back at her, as if he already knew what was to come. "We're all here for you, Tori." Tori nodded slowly while holding her breath. After a few seconds, her body seemed to relax and she released her breath.

"I think I might be gay." There was no blow up, there was no cinematic reaction that was so often portrayed in movies. Those present only smiled at her and uttered like a chorus their approvals and acceptance. "Now, I don't know really how I feel. I just…I know I was using my judgment against men as an excuse and I'm trying to find out right now. I had a girl I dated back at Sherwood, and well, I enjoyed dating her. I haven't dated a guy that hasn't messed around somehow, and I want to know how I feel dating a guy without judging him because of his gender."

"You've accepted not every man is the same?" Ian asked carefully. Tori smiled bright and nodded her head. When Beck looked at Courtney, he was impressed to see the girl appeared moved. It looked like she was glowing and speechless with joy. "Would you want to give a guy a chance? Then you can decide for yourself how you feel about being with both."

"I would…" Tori bit her lip and shrugged. "Maybe you could take me on a date sometime, Ian?" Ian's jaw fell open and he had to do a double take. "You're a good man, and I trust you. You know where I stand, so I know you won't push things."

"I would never."

"Okay."

Beck clasped his hands together and spoke up. "So Tori, are you happy?" Tori looked over, blinking twice while Courtney gave him a skeptical look. "In your life right now, are you happy?"

"Well, I know my sister doesn't hate me, my family forgives me for being so stupid in the past."

"And everyone accepts you."

"Yes. I-I am happy." Tori looked over and took a deep breath. "My entire family is together, and even my stepdad is here. I couldn't be happier. I think I can see a good future."

Katie cried out in joy and Courtney closed her eyes as a look of peace came over her.

David extended his hand, reaching out for the stick. "May I?" Tori handed the stick over to him and took a seat. "As you all know, I've been trying to figure things out." He stood up and took Amber by the hand, helping her up. "I'd like to introduce you to someone…an old childhood friend of mine, Amber."

Trina tilted her head and raised her hand. "Are the two of you together?" David emitted a nervous chuckle and ran his hand over the back of his neck.

"Um…yeah, we've gone on a date and we're taking it really slowly. Seeing where this is going to go. I'm optimistic, but I'm really not wanting to rush." David smiled at Amber, whose face was turning bright red, and squeezed her hand. "She's really helped me these last few months. Well, everyone at the church and all of my old friends…"

David turned to the family. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've been absent, I'm sorry I've been bad. I had to struggle with a lot of guilt…" He looked to Tori, who bowed her head.

"It's okay," Tori replied with a whisper-quiet voice, "It's not your fault. It never was."

"I know, but how I reacted. I did something terrible." Amber rubbed David's back and gazed tenderly at him. Jade informed Beck before that David told Amber about Leroy and what he'd done. David had apparently prayed, the spirits above forgave him or something like that. "I'd like to move on from that, to start anew with all of you…I love you, everyone here, and I never want to see anyone hurt again."

Tori walked forward, hugging her stepfather. "We love you too." It wouldn't be easy, but in time, they could be a family that wasn't fractured any longer. They could be a united front.

Seeing the excitement and realization on Katie and Courtney, Beck was ready to give them one last glimmer of hope before they were able to cross. He took the walking stick and offered it up to Trina.

"It's your turn." He winked and Trina stared at the stick, swallowing hard. Her family turned their eyes on her and she stared at Beck as if to ask how he knew. She placed a shaky hand on the stick and closed her eyes.

"God." Trina stood slowly, pushing an object into her pockets. Jason raised an eyebrow, having seen the item just then. "I-I want, I hope we can all be a family again. Not just for me, not just for us, but…look its important." Trina looked into everyone's eyes, inhaling deep and exhaling slowly. "I know you all accept Jason, and I love him very much. In fact, I would hope that if we were to marry that you would accept him."

Gary's eyebrows rose slowly and he started to nod. "I would approve of that union." Holly and David promptly agreed while Tori studied Jason closely.

"Good." Trina took Jason by the hand and pulled him up. "Then, I want to ask you something first." Everyone fell silent and Jason's jaw fell open as Trina dropped to one knee. "It's backwards I know, but…I've never been so happy in all my life, and I want to spend it with you. I-I need to know you feel the same, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be with. Please, would you make me your wife?"

Beck tapped his chin and looked over as Courtney and Katie gasped out, covering their mouths with their hands.

Jason pulled Trina up and draped his arms around her. "I-" He looked at Gary and Holly, then to David and Amber, smiling with confidence as they accepted him. Gazing into Trina's eyes, he leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "Yes. I mean, I was going to ask you after asking your family, but, it seems you beat me to it. But I love you, and I would love to spend my whole life with you."

Trina squealed and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him firmly. Tears ran down her cheeks as she took a step back.

"Good, because I have another announcement to make. I-I needed to know that you wanted to be with me before making this announcement, and I want to know that you'll accept it."

"What is it, Trina?"

"I…" She bit her lip, sliding her hands down his arm and into his hands. Her eyes closed over and she shook her head. "I just found out. I'm pregnant." Shocked gazes fell onto her from the family, and Jason was stunned to paralysis. "Are you okay? Everyone? Please say you're okay."

"This is amazing." Jason came to and hugged her tight. "I'm going to be a father."

"Screw that," Gary said with a laugh, "I'm going to be a grandpa!" David cheered while Tori shot up and ran to throw her arms around Trina and Jason.

"I'm going to spoil the hell out of my nephew or niece, just so you know."

Beck leaned back, whispering at the glorified Katie and Courtney. "Just so you know, Jade and Death told me it's a girl." They put their hands over their hearts and turned their tearful gazes away. "Well? What do you think?"

The members of the family started to move, each hugging Trina close and accepting Jason as part of their family.

The two ghosts moved into the kitchen and Beck followed them. "They're happy," Katie whispered, "They're really…truly happy…"

"I can't believe it," Courtney cried, "Finally Tori's opened up and was honest."

"They're a family. I-I don't know how to feel."

"Something tells me they're going to be a stronger front." Beck placed a hand over his left wrist and held it in front of his waist. He grinned with pride and confidence as the girls closed their eyes. "So, are you confident they will be okay? You don't have to watch over them anymore, you don't have to protect them anymore. They will be okay."

"Yes," the girls replied, "I'm satisfied."

"Good. Because it's time for you to move on. Let them move on, let them live and go home where you belong." There was another trick to his gift, something Death himself had given him the ability to do.

However it would only work if a ghost were truly ready and open to crossing over. "Are you ready to go home where you belong? Courtney? Katie?" He smiled at them and waited until they nodded their heads. "I'm happy for you."

He took a deep breath and reached his arms out, placing his hands on their shoulders. There was a small glow on the palm of his hand, enabling the delicate touch required to send them off to where they belong.

"Thank you," they said. Katie smiled cheerfully and looked past him, gasping out. "Oh Jade. Thank you." Beck jerked his head back and looked over his shoulder to see Death and Jade standing by. Jade had tears in her eyes and her hand cupped over her mouth.

When he looked back, both girls were gone, leaving behind a peaceful feeling. He exhaled softly and closed his eyes. "They've crossed over. Finally." He turned around, studying Jade and Death. "How long have you guys been standing there?"

"We've been here the entire time," Jade said with a joyful cry. "I-I am so happy right now."

"You did well," Death said, "Good job Beck. Keep up the good work."

"You know what?" Beck looked back to where the girls had been standing and nodded gently. "I think I will."

* * *

So what do you think of everything? The family coming together, and Beck helping the ghosts across? I show this not just to show what Beck can do and has done, but to also show my thoughts and get your input on a potential spin-off/sequel that would revolve around Beck and his abilities as a medium. With possibly an ancient evil he'll have to fix. Also wanted to show a resolution that was to suggest that not everything has to be fixed by Jade, and Beck can do just as good of a job when pressed. Eh, how was the chapter?


	27. Saving the New Family

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: own nothing

A/N: Here I give you the final two chapters. Enjoy

* * *

Chapter 27 (Saving the New Family)

Jade never felt more like a ghost during all of this process as she did in this very moment, watching over her father in the park. She felt like a stalker, standing on the sidewalk behind him. He was hunched over, wringing his hands between his knees and watching the ripples in the lake.

When she was a girl, he would bring her and Jasmine here to feed the ducks and play. "I always hated those ducks." Jade smiled sadly as Henry turned his head and watched a pair of ducks walk by. "I'm sorry, Dad." She approached him slowly, placing her hands on the back of the metal bench. "I'm so sorry." The tears that filled beneath her eyelids fell over and streamed her cheeks. "I wish I had told you how I felt about everything."

She never told Lane or her father how she felt about the most recent transgressions that had been bothering her. She did argue with her dad a bit about Nancy before taking off to her last counseling session.

Nancy was her father's girlfriend, someone he'd been seeing for nearly a year before the accident. As far as she knew, the two were still an item. "You deserve to be happy, Dad. If Tori and Trina can accept Amber, maybe I could have accepted Nancy."

"Henry?" She turned her head, blinking twice at a woman that was approaching. She had long brown hair that was pulled back in a ponytail, a short and fit stature and a kind face. Jade smiled gently at the woman, recognizing her as Nancy-one of her father's coworkers and current girlfriend.

She was a lot like Amber in some ways, but Jade had never seen that before today. Nancy sat beside Henry and ran her hand along his shoulder and back. "It's going to be okay, Henry." The man sighed heavily and shook his head.

"I don't know what to do. I've tried to be patient, but it hurts. I-I can't lose my second child." Henry buried his face into his hands, then swept them down with a sigh. "You're not supposed to outlive your entire family. That's not supposed to be normal."

Nancy set her head on his shoulder and moved her arm around him in a hug. "Jade always hated me, resisted everything I ever did for her; but I didn't care. I loved my child and wanted the best for her."

"I didn't hate you, Dad."

"I know she blamed me for her mother, but I never knew how to protect her and Jasmine. I could never keep them safe. I didn't know how." Henry had become a lot like David, avoiding the family out of fear of his wife and not knowing what to do.

Jade couldn't count the times on her two hands that she accused him of cowardice. There were times she told him to his face that she wanted nothing to do with him. Now she wanted to say she was sorry, tell him she loved him and that she needed him to be happy. "No one's perfect, Daddy. I thought the Vegas were perfect and was jealous, but I see now how very wrong I was." She needed him not to give up, to keep believing and hoping; but he had no real reason to do so. "I think Nancy's a great woman and you deserve to have happiness."

In the corner of her eyes she saw two familiar figures. A girl not much younger than she, just about thirteen years old, and a boy of ten. "Raven and Zachary." She smiled through her tears and crossed her arms. "Nancy's kids…I would have been a stepsister. I guess that's why I liked Katie so much, because-" She gasped softly and wiped her tears from my face. "Katie was David's lost daughter, and I'm my dad's."

Raven and Zach were chasing each other, playing a game of tag. The girl was fast and active, jumping up on rocks and getting herself in dangerous situations. Jade couldn't help but feel a sense of enjoyment over how similar the girl looked to herself; with long chocolate brown hair and milky white skin.

Young Zach had a freckled face and thin glasses, his sandy brown hair was short and spiked in the front. He wasn't as pale as his sister, but he also wasn't as healthy. Raven seemed to be protective of him, though Jade couldn't help but to fantasize about being just as protective of both children.

"I would love to be your big sister. I really, truly would." She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and leaned sideways against a tree. Her knees began to buckle as a sob shook through her body. "I'm sorry Daddy, I'm really sorry. I love you. It wasn't your fault, it was never your fault. Nancy's a great woman, her children are great. Please forgive me for being a stupid, rebellious daughter…daddy…"

Raven hopped up onto a large boulder, where she stopped and squinted eyes in Jade's direction. Zach continued to run around the boulder, jumping to try and tag Raven. "No fair, you're taller and I'm short! I can't reach you." Raven didn't react, still staring. "Raven, get down from there or I'm gonna tell momma. You're going to fall and hurt yourself again, sissy!"

Raven looked down sharply, glaring at her brother. Jade furrowed her brow, noticing the look for the first time. "What the…" She looked at her father, listening to his conversation with Nancy.

"I know what you're going through," Nancy said in a soft, quivering voice. "Losing a child like that." Henry was holding her hand and gazing into her eyes. "When Raven and her dad had that fall, it felt like my whole world was just…gone…Greg didn't make it, it was a miracle Raven survived."

"Nancy…"

"The doctors said they were shocked. She actually died on that operating table." Jade's heart stopped and for a minute she felt her entire world put on pause. "I never liked that Greg would take her to climb those stupid walls at the parks, but I usually allowed it because he always tried to make it safe."

"How did it happen?"

"Something came loose, broke away from the cliff they were on…" Jade looked at Raven with a heavy heart. The teen hopped off the boulder and once again continued to run with her brother, but every now and then the girl would glance back in Jade's direction with a strange confused look on her face.

She waited for what felt like an eternity until her father started to leave with Nancy and the children. She was torn between following them or doing something else, so she remained in place.

All of a sudden, Beck's voice filled her ears. He was running towards her, sweating profusely and was pale as a bedsheet.

"Beck." She moved for him, weeping still. "Beck please, you have to tell my dad-tell him I love him. Tell him I'm sorry and I would be happy for him if he wanted to marry Nancy. Please Beck, you have to tell him." Beck bent over, grasping his knees firmly and panting heavily.

"You can tell him yourself." She leaned back, skeptical and concerned. "When you get put back in your damn body."

"Beck, I-I don't know. I'm scared it's too late. Then there's Leroy."

"Right." He moved upright and took a deep breath. "Leroy. Needs to be dealt with. Immediately." He wiped his brow and growled. "Unless you want your father to be the next David Vega." Her heart stopped and a rush of emotion raced through her.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"David. Selling his house." Beck took another deep breath and swept his arm through the air.

"Yeah, we know that already." She didn't understand the panic, and was concerned Beck might be on his way to a heart attack. "Beck, calm down and talk slowly. Tell me what's going on. What does David's house and my father have to do with each other, and why would my dad 'be the next David'?"

"You have to save him." Beck paused for a while, catching his breath and trying to relax. "He's going to marry Nancy, there's no doubt about that. Both of them are going to move into a family house because he can't stand living in the home he's in anymore. Still, he can't move past you…"

"Okay?"

"Well, he knows David's home is on the market." She tensed and tried to process carefully the words, drawing a horrific conclusion. "It's big enough to house a family, and he knows how important the Vegas were to you-or at least believes that they were. So to leave the painful memories, but still feel somewhat connected to you, guess what house your father is about to buy and move a family into?"

"No…"

"You remember that second entire family you said you were going to have to save from Leroy along with the Vegas? It's yours. He's all but signed the ownership." Beck exhaled and ran his hand through his hair. "I had to tell you. I just came back from cleansing that damn place, since Leroy's weak enough, so it's ready for a new family. Then David showed up with the realtor and started talking about when 'Henry West' and his family was going to move in…within the month…"

"No!"

Leroy had to be stopped immediately; and now there was no question about it. Without a further word, she vanished and materialized in the Vega house.

The home was empty, devoid of life and property. The smell of sage and incense was thick, and Leroy's energy was gone. "Okay, Beck did a good job. Leroy, wherever you are, I'm going to end this right now."

Jade got a sense that trouble was in the air and time was shorter than she realized. Henry and Nancy were at the hospital, that much she knew. This troubled her as she figured if her father were planning to make this move, he may be resolved to pull the plug on her.

A shriek echoed from upstairs, drawing Jade's attention in a second. "Get off me!" It was Raven's voice. Terror filled Jade's heart and she rushed to the stairs.

"What are you doing here, Raven? What are you doing in this house by yourself?" She ran up the stairs and found Tori's old bedroom door wide open. Inside, Raven was face down on the ground with Leroy holding her down with his left hand on her throat.

"If my power has been eradicated, I will bring it back with an evil act of my own." Raven was powerless in a way Jade had never seen a ghost do to a living human. With only his eyes, Leroy was beginning to tear Raven's clothing away.

"No. No, no, no!" Rage and anger coursed through her veins, adding to the shot of adrenaline. "Get off my little sister!" Raven gasped and Leroy threw his head up with an angry growl. Jade wasted no time throwing her hands forward and causing Leroy to fly away. "It's over Leroy. I'll banish you myself if I have to, but you will _not_ harm my family!"

She stood protectively between Raven and Leroy. The young girl pulled herself up, trembling with fear. "J-Jade? I don't understand, you aren't gone yet." Jade turned her head over her shoulder and smiled gently.

"I'm not, I had a job I had to do. That's stopping this man. What on earth were you doing here?"

"I wanted to come see the new house. The wedding's soon…"

"Wedding? It's for real then." She closed her eyes and cracked her neck to the right. She now knew what needed to be done. "Then you are my little sister, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"Who is this guy? Why can I see him, why can I see you?"

"Long story, but this is Leroy. He's a very evil ghost haunting this house." Leroy growled at her, but there was a new look in his eyes. Terror. He was now at his weakest, and he knew it. "I have to stop him, to get rid of him before you move into this house."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Stay out of the way and protect yourself, don't leave my sight yet though. I don't know if he's able to attach himself to you or not." Raven froze and nodded her head quickly as Jade shot her a reassuring smile. "I'm not going to let him touch you."

Just as her sister had done for her, Jade was going to do whatever it took to protect Raven. "Okay Leroy." Jade sneered at him and took a step forward. "I guess I underestimated what you could do as a ghost. You are evil, more so than anything I've ever encountered. You _somehow_ put your hand on Raven, and for that…I am going to beat you senseless."

She was calm, stoic, and her words were dripping with venom. She didn't trust letting Raven out of her sight, knowing that Leroy could appear wherever the girl was and have his way with her.

"Not before I kill you." Leroy stood up, speaking tough as if he could intimidate her into thinking he was more powerful. Jade shrugged and crossed her arms as he charged her.

"Bring it." Leroy swept his hand towards her, slicing his fingers through the air like razors. She transported in a second behind him, causing him to freeze and look around. Leaning forward, she spoke into his left ear. "Boo."

Leroy jumped and spun around, screaming aloud. Jade blinked twice and chuckled. "I didn't think that would work." Leroy scowled and swung again at her, cutting across her chest.

"Jade!" Raven cried out. Jade sprang back and moved her hand over her chest.

"I'm okay." She narrowed her eyes and kicked forward at Leroy-striking him in the torso. He doubled over and threw his head up towards her. "I think you should know Leroy, I'm much stronger than you."

"I don't care." Leroy ran past her, moving behind her and grabbing her in a headlock. She closed her eyes and grit her teeth as he bit down on her collarbone. "I'll weaken you until I can destroy you, wench."

"Yeah." She kicked back, striking him in the shin and causing him to fall away. "Good luck with that, asshole." She wasn't sure if Death was on his way or not, but she had to fight him and hold him until he got here. Then, somehow, she had to make sure he couldn't escape.

Leroy moved his eyes over to Raven, smirking slowly. "Don't worry, I know just how to beat you." She froze, watching as Leroy appeared behind Raven and grabbed her by the throat. "Be a ghost long enough, you learn how to physically control the living…"

"Get away from her!" Jade ran for him, ready to tear him apart if she had to. Fortunately for her, his right arm was still gone as an angel's sword would ensure he could never make it grow back. She grabbed at the stump left behind and yanked Leroy away from Raven. "Where's Cathy when I need her?"

She stared Leroy down, moving in a clockwise motion with him. Leroy laughed, mocking her. "Oh little Jade, when your father moves his family into this house, I'm going to have so much fun. I'll have someone else I can feed off of."

"My dad will not become your next victim."

"You won't have much say over that when I've destroyed you, little girl." Her throat grew tight and she balled her fists up. "First, I'm going to destroy your new little sister, then I'm going to amplify that depression and guilt your father holds in his heart." Her nostrils flared and her lip twitched. "And I'm going to make that wonderful wife of his hate every fiber of his being. Oh the fun I'm going to have!"

"I don't think so." She rushed forward, grabbing him by the throat and pushing him down onto the floor. Leroy thrust his hand into her gut, pushing hard as possible. She clenched her stomach and started to clamp down on his throat.

"Where's your pathetic entourage, Jade?" Leroy coughed and grabbed her by the neck, and dark energy flourished from him.

As they continued to grapple, she began to realize his strength and power was rising back. By provoking her, he was attempting to feed off her own power while at the same time being fueled by Raven's fear.

"No…" He would be stronger than her soon, if she didn't do something fast. "I can't." Tears fell from her eyes as realization began to sink in; she had no choice. If she didn't do something now, he would win and he would hurt Raven on the spot. She had to sacrifice herself, just like Jasmine had done for her. "This is for Raven, for my dad…"

She grunted and put both hands on Leroy's neck, causing his eyes to open wide. "I…am sorry…" She closed her eyes and let all of her energy and strength pour from her. "I have no choice. I can't let you hurt them."

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Ending this. Ending you."

"What!"

"Goodbye." She choked out a sob and light started to flash and surround her. Leroy let out an agonized scream, his cry echoing until he was fully obliterated and his energy completely snuffed out.

Jade fell to her hands and knees, staring at the circle left behind. Raven trembled nervously, studying her. "What happened?" The girl stammered. Tears dripped from Jade's face and she started to shake.

"He's gone. Forever. He'll never hurt you now. Never hurt Dad or Nancy and Zach. He won't plague the Vegas again either. He's…erased from existence. The greatest sin for a ghost."

"What!" Raven ran forward, tears in her eyes. "What does that mean? Jade?"

"It means, I sacrifice myself to save you." Jade stood slowly, wiping away her tears. She smiled sadly and shrugged. "This is goodbye." Raven gasped out and reached for her, whimpering fearfully. "Tell Dad I always loved him, and I'm sorry. For everything. I…I wish things could have been different."

Death appeared behind her, with a look of disappointment and pain etched on his face. "Miss West, what have you done?" Raven seemed to know who this was and ran to him, crying out.

"Please don't banish her! Please! She was saving my life. Please, please don't. I-I want her to be my sister."

Death walked past her, frowning deeply. "I am sorry. Utterly." Jade bowed her head and dropped her hands, accepting that this was the end. "Jade, I…I have no choice. When a ghost commits that sin-"

"I won't stop you," she replied, "I knew the cost."

"I don't want to have to do this, I had hope for you."

"I know." He couldn't divert from the rules, and she wasn't going to ask him to do it. "Just tell me." Tears poured down her face and she straightened her posture. "Will everyone be okay without me?"

"You saved the entire Vega family." Death smiled sadly and sniffed. "You _did_ save your father's as well by taking Leroy out. I just…wish it had been different."

"No," Raven cried, "Please. She had no choice! He was going to destroy her first!"

"I agree the circumstance is different. Self-defense. However, the order of the universe dictates-"

"Raven stop." Jade walked over to the girl and knelt before her, smiling mournfully. "It's going to be okay." She was scared and nervous as hell. "I've already accepted this."

"You didn't have to do that for me…"

"Well." Jade chuckled and wiped away her tears. "That's what big sisters do. They protect their younger siblings. Jasmine did it for me, and I do it for you. I'd do anything…"

Death sighed and started reaching for her shoulder. "Jade, it's time. I'm sorry." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, holding it as her muscles tightened.

With his hand an inch away, she felt a peaceful feeling surround the room. "Wait." It was Jasmine's voice. Jade choked on a gasp and cupped her hand over her mouth.

"Before you do that," Cathy said, joining in, "The spirits have been watching. They've been impressed by Jade's actions throughout this process, and have been moved by her sacrifice."

Death pulled his hand away and Jade kept her eyes closed, still expecting obliteration. "She has more than done her job," Jasmine replied, "Banishment may not be needed. It is time to convene with the spirits."

Jade clutched her chest, gasping softly and crying out. Death closed his eyes and said nothing. The wait felt like an eternity, and she just wanted to get things over with.

Still she remained patient, saying nothing until she felt Death's hand upon her shoulder. She gasped as a sharp feeling rushed through her and her body began to glow as an odd sensation flowed across her body.

When she opened her eyes, she was in another location-but amazed that she could see. She was surrounded by four white walls and felt incredibly tired. Every muscle in her body felt weak and her head ached with confusion.

"Oh my god." Jade's vision was blurred and her voice weak. "Where am I?"

"Jade?" Someone stammered, their voice shocked and filled with amazement. She turned her head to the left, blinking twice when she saw a nurse standing next to a heart monitor. When she looked to the right, she saw her father standing beside her. His eyes were wide and filled with bewilderment. Nancy was beside him, and Zach was tiptoeing at her feet, with his hands folded tentatively over the edge of the bed.

Fresh tears filled her eyes and she struggled to raise her hand. "Dad. I'm sorry. For everything. I love you. Forgive me…" Letting out a relieved and frantic sob, Henry fell to his knees and grabbed her hand. He pressed his forehead against her trembling fingers and continued to weep.

Death appeared behind her, his arms crossed and he was smirking at her. "Time and time again, you keep being a 'special' case." He unfolded his arms and sighed. "Good job. Enjoy your life." She smiled gently, wanting to thank him but not wanting to freak her family out. "Use your second chance well, Miss West, and hopefully we won't have to meet again for a very long time."

She exhaled softly and closed her eyes. "Oh, and another gift for you." Opening her eyes slightly, she watched as Death once again vanished on the spot. In his place, the hospital door flew open and Beck entered the room, freezing up the minute his eyes fell onto her.

"Jade? Am I dreaming?"

"You're not," Raven's voice echoed. Jade grinned as the teenager ran past Beck and rushed to the bed. While Jade wasn't sure how much time had passed, she did note there was enough time for Raven to change her clothes.

"Hi," Jade whispered to the girl. Raven grinned from ear to ear and gingerly took her by the hand.

"Hi." Raven squeezed her hand. "Hi there big sis. I can't believe they let you back…"

"Karma." She chuckled, thinking of how her self-sacrifice must have mirrored Jasmine's. "I guess what goes around comes around."

* * *

What a chapter that was. Leroy's defeated, and who would have thought Henry was the one to buy the next house. How close he came to becoming just like David was. Luckily for Jade, her sacrifice was done with good intentions. Do tell your thoughts, of course


	28. One Door Closes, One Door Opens

Karma's Ghost

Disclaimer: own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 28 (Reaching the Conclusion)

That Christmas, Jade's body was beginning to recover after all the extensive workouts she was doing. She was on her feet again and ready to take on whatever the world sent her way; but this time she had a new attitude. Gone were her dark clothing and gothic look, she was a happy filling in her role as protective big sister to her new family.

Every now and then she would glance over her shoulder and remind herself that Leroy was gone for good. It was scary for her to think how close her father came to travelling that same dark road that David had done, but all that depression and anguish the man had seemed to be gone now.

No one would ever truly know what she went through, and she was fortunate to still remember it. Granted her memory was hazy in some areas, and it felt like a dream, she at least still had Beck to remind her of all they'd gone through together.

"I don't know what it is, but I'm astounded by this change of yours." Lane was staring at her from his office chair, smiling brightly at her. "I think the progress you've made is fantastic. What are you going to do with this new outlook on life?"

"I think…" Her eyes drifted to a faded photograph on his desk and she tilted her head slightly, tapping her cheek with her index finger. "I think Beck and I are going to start helping people more." She didn't want to do the job of a medium like Beck did, but she didn't mind assisting.

"That's great. How will you be celebrating the holidays, Miss West?" She smiled gently and lifted her head up. Tori invited her to celebrate Christmas with the family, so she was going to do that after spending Christmas with her own family. "Are you still hesitant to spend the holidays with anyone?"

"No." It seemed crucial to him that she spend the holidays with her family and not alone. She never thought about this before, but after going through what she had, she couldn't help but wonder the reason. "Actually I'm going to be spending Christmas with my family and then Tori actually invited me to visit her family. I'm going to do that as well…can't wait to see what Mrs. Malone thinks of me."

Gary chuckled softly and pointed his pen at her. "Or the new Mrs. Tyler?"

"Oh yeah definitely." She already knew because she'd talked to both Holly and Trina. They accepted her on the agreement that she never again do or say anything to hurt Tori or the family. She didn't want to betray their newfound trust in her, so she was certain not to be abrasive anymore.

Behind Lane stood a pregnant woman, the same pregnant woman in the photograph on Lane's dresser. The woman had dark skin and curly black hair, her brown eyes focused on Jade and seemed to beg her attention. "Please," The woman said with a tremble in her voice. "Every year he's alone." Lane was focusing on his clipboard and notes, scribbling away as fast as he could.

Jade sighed and shut her eyes. "I'm not doing Beck's job," she whispered, "But maybe this once."

"What was that?" Lane looked up and lifted his pen from the paper. Jade flashed a smile.

"Nothing."

The woman put her hands on the back of his chair and leaned forward. "Tell him it isn't his fault. He couldn't do anything. He spends every holiday scrubbing the floor, and every day cleaning himself. Tell him I need him to move on."

Jade folded her hands over in her lap and looked at the photograph, nodding to it. "Is that your wife?" Lane raised an eyebrow and turned his head over his shoulder. She listened to the words the woman spoke and repeated them. "Renee, right? Pregnant with your son, Anthony."

"How could you-"

"She was killed ten years ago during a robbery." Lane looked at her with wide eyes, his fingers tightening on his pen and his lips trembling. Beck often told her this kind of bluntness wasn't good and could make someone close themselves off, but she had a feeling Lane would listen. "You found her after going out for a drive, the night you two argued. You held her, trying to save her life and stop the bleeding. It was Christmas Eve. Now you spend every Christmas scrubbing at the floor, and cleaning your hands frantically…trying to clean off the blood that's not there."

"Jade…"

"But it wasn't your fault Lane. There was nothing you could have done. She wants you to know that." Tears filled his eyes as Jade slowly stood up. "She loves you but cannot move on unless you can forgive yourself and move on. You have to let her go. You have to stop living vicariously through your clients, stop scrubbing at that floor and learn to live again."

When Renee mouthed 'thank you' Jade knew she had reached the man. Eventually she was able to leave, with Lane in a tearful heap. Still he was going to work on this and Renee could move on in peace. Beck would scold her for being so blunt, which was why she preferred him to do the work of a medium, but she was glad to have helped somehow.

"Two things I cannot believe," Beck said as he followed Jade to Gary's front door. He was carrying a bunch of chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting that was coated with sprinkles and topped with a cherry. "You actually want to bring a bunch of cupcakes to the party here, and you were that blunt with Lane!"

"Sorry, I don't medium well." She shrugged and Beck smiled gently. "I know you might have handled it differently. That's why I'm letting you do the work most of the time now." She pat his shoulder, to which he placed a hand over hers and exhaled deeply. "I love you."

"And I, you. God I still can't get over being able to feel you again. To hold you and, you know, just have you _alive_." He kissed her lips and pulled away, letting a serene expression overtake him. "Everything we went through? Worth it."

"I'm just glad to be here and not wandering deep space somewhere."

He rolled his eyes and groaned. "Please don't remind me about that. God, to think you were that close. You were lucky your sister and Cathy showed up when they did."

"I don't know, I think Death was going to spare me regardless." She smirked and Beck shook his head. "But if it makes you feel any better, I won't bring it up again."

"Please and thank you." They stepped in front of the door and Beck pushed the box of cupcakes towards her. "Now could you take these? They're from you, after all." She rolled her eyes and graciously took the cupcakes to allow him to knock on the door.

She stepped forward and grinned as the door opened up. Tori was smiling from ear to ear. "Merry Christmas!" Jade raised the box of cupcakes and Tori took them, gasping with glee.

"Thank you! Come in, come in." Tori stepped to the side, letting Jade and Beck enter. Present in the living room were the parents, David and Amber, and Jason and Trina. Trina was showing and deep into her pregnancy by now, but she had maintained an active lifestyle and looked amazing even still. "Look who made it, everyone. She brought cupcakes."

Tori hurried the gift to the countertop. "Who would have ever expected that from Jade?" Trina asked jokingly. Jade blushed as the girl looked to her knowingly. Trina was well aware what Jade had done for her family, amazingly enough. At least she didn't need to know Jade was present for conception.

"So did you find out if you're having a girl or a boy?" She sat beside Trina and rubbed her belly. Trina put moved her hands down and hummed contently.

"It's a girl. We're thinking of naming her after my grandmother. Rachel."

"Rachel? That's a beautiful name." She looked at the Christmas tree in the living room and took a deep breath. "Thank you for having me over. I can't stay too long, I want to get back to my family soon."

"It's nice to have you," Holly replied, "I just wanted to say thank you. I don't know why, but I feel like I need to thank you for something." Jade started to tear up. She couldn't say what went down, but she didn't have to; all she needed was to see the family as they were now. "How are you enjoying the house, by the way?"

"It's great, actually." She currently had Trina's old room, with Raven as a roommate. Zach had Tori's old bedroom. Henry was using David's study as his own, but Jade was happy to say there were no dark forces lurking in there, waiting to destroy Henry. "I never thought I'd be happy to have a stepfamily, but you know what? I love them. My dad's happy as he could be, and that's great."

"So you've accepted your stepmother?"

"Yeah, she's good for my dad. I used to be afraid that any woman my dad brought home would be bad, like my mother, but I'm glad to say I was wrong." The Vegas smiled at her and Tori brought a present over to her. Jade's eyebrows went up as she accepted it. "What's this?"

"A present. To you from all of us. We didn't know what you'd like, so I just went off a couple ideas."

"You shouldn't have." She quickly unwrapped the gift, seeing two separate items joined together. One was a boxed set of classic and famous horror films, and a DVD box was attached to it, but had a note attached to it that designated it as a sort of home movie video. "Oh my god, a complete set of horror films?" Her heart rose and she looked at the family with a grin while Beck turned white and started to groan. "Thank you so much! I'm going to binge watch all of these!"

"Great," Beck muttered, "More demons." Jade nudged him with her elbow and showed off the extra video case taped to the box.

Trina leaned over, pointing to the case. "That is a DVD that Tori requested from Jason's uncle. It's a combination of all the things that you, my sister, and your friends went through at Hollywood Arts. Your theater plays, your musical performances. Everything."

"Oh." Jade hugged it close to her chest, thanking the family again. "I love it." She looked down, frowning as a tear ran down her face. "I can't believe I don't have anything for you."

"That's alright, you don't have to get us anything." Trina leaned against Jason and looked out at her family. "We have each other, and that's all that we need." Jade's heart swelled in her chest and she took Beck's hand.

"Aww, I'm happy for you guys." So she had given them the greatest gift possible it seemed, the gift of family.

Gary slapped his knees and stood up. There was a sparkle in his eyes as he looked over to Jade, then motioned her over. "A word, Miss West? And you, Mr. Oliver."

They exchanged confused looks and followed Gary into the kitchen. Jade was amazed by the enormous turkey and ham sitting on the counter, waiting to be eaten. Gary crossed his arms and studied the two closely. "What is it, sir?" She turned to him, glancing into the studious look in his eyes.

"I've seen a lot in my lifetime, and I've had to ignore a great deal. I wanted to thank the two of you personally for what you've done for my girls."

"Huh?" Their jaws fell open and Jade tried to deflect his curiosity as quickly as she could. "I don't know what you're talking about." Gary shut his eyes and started to chuckle.

"When I was still in the service, I had a grave incident out on the field. Ever since then I've seen things, people who shouldn't technically be there. I've learned to ignore them, look at them as completely normal, while never quite knowing _why_ I was seeing them…"

"Oh, I-wait-"

"While you were in that coma, I finally understood what it was. You should not have been around, but I saw you around quite a bit."

"Wait, you _knew?_ You know?"

"Yes." He looked over his shoulder with a grunt. "I have a feeling you're the reason for my girls' happiness and for my family coming together. I wanted to thank you, and I wanted to know what you plan to do now."

Jade looked at Beck, motioning to him. "Beck's going to start helping those people move on…" Gary brightened, beaming with pride as Beck slowly nodded.

"Well, I do hope you'll do that. It seems you can work miracles. Now, I don't know everything that's been happening, and I'm not sure I want to know-"

"Oh nothing much, you know. Just playing matchmaker, fixing things that were broken and vanquishing an evil demon living in the house." She ran her hand over her neck and Gary started to pale. Beck cleared his throat and Gary shook his head, muttering quietly.

"I knew I should have listened when David said he saw strange things on his video footage."

"Oh yeah, I was probably on there a few times."

"You were. Hell, David even noticed what he said were ghostly apparitions." Gary waved his hand in the air and cleared his throat. "Regardless. Thank you. For saving my family. I don't know what I'd do without them."

"Go insane?" Beck asked. Gary paused, looking off at the living room, then finally chuckling.

"Yeah, that's likely." Gary pat Beck's shoulder. "Listen, I'd like to keep quiet about all of this. Saving ghosts seems to be more your thing. I just want to enjoy the time I've got with my family and focus on my career."

"Yes sir." Beck's shoulders rose and Jade looked up to him with pride. "What's happening with your career?"

"Well David is retiring now that he and Amber are married, and so I'm getting a promotion." Gary tugged his belt upwards and seemed to puff his chest outwards. "Also, between you and me, Amber is showing signs of pregnancy as well…" Jade gasped and Beck laughed with excitement. "I'm betting it's going to be a girl, and I'm betting on the name 'Katie'."

As Gary walked off, Jade heard another familiar voice behind her that startled both her and Beck. "He's not wrong." She spun around, glaring at Death, who was glowing with pride. "Thought I'd pay you a visit and wish you a Merry Christmas and all that."

"Could you just stop popping up and scaring me just once?"

"Let me think about that." Death tapped his chin and smirked. "Nope." Death stood between the two, still with a sly grin on his face. "I hope my two favorite pupils are doing well."

"Two?" Beck scoffed. "You've had one protégé and that was Jade."

"Oh? But truly Beck, you shall save me a lot of work." Beck leaned his head back and groaned. "I've given you the gift of death's touch, though it's a small piece. So you can help more lost souls find their way across."

"Why?"

"Because, you're needed." Death walked in front of them, snapping his fingers. "Jade's task is finished, she no longer has to worry anymore. Yours, however, remains." Jade raised her eyebrows and Beck crossed his arms. "There's something coming, something big, and only you can deal with it."

"Can't you wish someone a Merry Christmas like a normal person for a change?"

"There's nothing normal about him," Jade whispered.

Death flashed a toothy grin and wagged his eyebrows while extending his arms out to the sides. "Merry Christmas!" With that, he started to laugh and slowly fade away. "I will never understand humans and their holidays."

Beck turned to Jade, poking a finger in the direction that Death had been standing. "How did you ever deal with this guy?" Jade lifted her eyes skyward and started walking forward, holding back a light laugh.

"You'll get used to him, Beck."

"So I can't go on pretending ghosts don't exist like Detective Malone over there?"

"Um, I'm guessing not." She turned around and started walking backwards, clapping her hands. "Merry Christmas?"

Another ghost popped up alongside Beck, giving him a scare. "God Bless us, everyone!" Jade cackled and Beck rolled his eyes, letting loose a loud groan. "Will you help me, good sir?" Beck looked down at the ghost and crossed his arms.

"Give me a minute and I'll see what I can do for you…"

"Thank you!"

Beck clicked his tongue and swept his hand across his brow. "There are literally thousands of ghosts in LA alone, I can't possibly help them all across."

"Help who you can. I think you just have to worry about whatever Death just said was coming. It sounds worse than even Leroy."

"Something worse than a demon that only seems to grow in power? Oh fantastic, sign me up for fighting that!" He rolled his eyes and Jade chuckled softly, running her hand along his forearm.

"Relax, I'm sure it's not going to be something we can't handle together." Beck looked at her for a moment and she leaned up, gently kissing his lips. "Besides, I thought you liked helping lost souls cross over."

"I do, I just…liked it better when Death didn't make it clear that I _had_ to."

"Ah, I see." Jade dropped her hand into his and started to pull him towards the other room. "Don't worry about it right now, and let's enjoy the rest of the festivies."

"Sure…" Beck glanced over his shoulder, studying the food on the counter. "I'm really going to enjoy that food right there. I'm getting hungrier just looking at it." Jade hummed and felt her stomach rumble.

"Yeah, so am I." She shrugged and turned around. "So let's go join the others and wait for them to declare that it's time to eat. Then, we can go join my family for our celebration. You should come and invite your dad." Beck smiled at her and started to nod.

"I will. Besides, I've been noticing my mother coming around lately…" She paused, very aware that his mother was long dead. "I don't think that she ever crossed over."

"You never saw her while we were dealing with Leroy or the Vegas?"

"Nope. She hasn't said anything either."

"When did she start coming around?"

"When we put Grandma in the nursing home a couple months ago. I've only noticed her standing in the distance, watching my father…but I guess that's a story for another time."

"Yeah, we can deal with that after Christmas. Let's enjoy ourselves first."

* * *

So thoughts? That's it for this tale, thanks to all those who followed it along, I'm glad you enjoyed and grateful for all input left behind.

"I'd like that." Beck smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Very much."


End file.
